Fire Emblem Redemption Book I - Bloodstained Walk of the Pariah
by Astral Miracle
Summary: Plagued by nightmares, and fearing for her lost friend, a young tactician sets out on a new journey, thinking it to be a simple matter. Unwilling to let her make such a journey alone, her friends and family hurry to follow. But their quest is far more complicated than it seems, for they soon find another world altogether, embroiled in slowly festering chaos.
1. Foreword

**Foreword**

Back at last, it seems. This "chapter" is essentially an extended author note. I'm not in the habit of writing author notes for each and every chapter, so I'm going to get everything out of the way now. I do read reviews / private messages, and try to respond to them, so please don't let this discourage you from offering me any feedback. Reading this note is purely optional, so feel free to skip ahead if you'd like.

Fire Emblem: Redemption is my take on a sequel for Fire Emblem: Awakening. Unlike my first story (or first three stories, depending on how you consider it), Redemption is a mostly original work, even though it continues to draw upon the characters and settings of Fire Emblem.

Let's get the disclaimers out of the way, first.

I do not own Fire Emblem, I do not own Intelligent Systems, and I do not own any of the characters / settings from Fire Emblem. I'm rating this story T for themes of war, including both violence and murder, alcohol use, potentially minor sexual references (nothing exceeding what already exists in Fire Emblem: Awakening), and potentially themes of suicide and character death.

Finally, there will be spoilers for Fire Emblem: Awakening, as well as Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. I thought about holding this back for later, but anyone who's played either of the two other games would recognize the connection by the end of the prologue, anyways.

* * *

><p>Let's start with the story. Currently, I have three arcs written. I meant to have four arcs initially, but with the way the first three arcs came out, I think I may end up extending it to five, possibly even six arcs later depending on how the fourth one shapes up.<p>

However, the first three arcs haven't been fully edited yet. In fact, I've only begun editing now, when I decided I couldn't hold back any longer. I made some changes when writing the second, and then the third arcs, that are inconsistent with the first, since I felt they were better for cohesion. Right now, the story is kind of a mess, but hopefully by the time I publish each chapter, it'll be significantly better. Also, starting from nothing but my own imagination is quite a bit harder, especially when I'm creating all the dialogue, rather than borrowing and editing existing dialogue.

Each arc is broken into a prologue, ten chapters, and an epilogue, so twelve full chapters in total. There's also three mini-chapters, for each arc is further broken into three parts. The mini-chapters are shorter and are written in a very different format.

I'm going to try to post three full chapters a week, editing as I go. This schedule is subject to change, though. The looser editing schedule also means it'll be easier for me to make changes if there's anything that you, the reader, would like to see. I won't make any promises, but if you have ideas, feel free to bounce them off me. It can't hurt, after all.

Fire Emblem: Redemption was originally meant to follow Morgan after the events of my retelling of Fire Emblem: Awakening. It picks up approximately four to five years after the end of my retelling. Most of the events in my retelling follow the original game pretty closely, but some of the character endings were adjusted slightly. Nevertheless, you should be able to read it without having read my retelling if you wish.

It also takes place approximately five centuries after the conclusion of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. I know there's a tiny bit of inconsistency there, with the story of the rest of the world being destroyed a thousand years ago, but my interpretation is that Tellius is sufficiently far from Ylisse that Ylisse's existence is utterly unknown to Tellius.

On to the cast. Morgan is basically my favorite Fire Emblem character, to date, and is essentially this story's main character. She will have a rather muted part in the story until the third arc, however. The other "main" characters include three more of the second generation characters.

Most of the rest of the Fire Emblem: Awakening cast will be relegated to a supporting cast. They will still be there, but given that their stories are tied up pretty neatly, it's time to turn the spotlight over a bit. That includes the four main characters from my retelling, Chrom, Sumia, Robin, and Cordelia. They will be in the story, and will have their own parts to play, but they aren't the main characters by any means.

There are some original characters in this story. Most of the antagonists are original characters, since I loathe recycling existing and previously defeated villains without particularly good reason (despite what you may have garnered from the preview I posted). I feel it cheapens existing storytelling to simply press the "undo" button like that. Some of the protagonists are also original characters.

Some of the characters are based loosely upon characters from other games. I can't really call it a crossover, because only the original concept was partially maintained. The characters are barely recognizable in their state, with different names and/or appearances, and sometimes even different genders. But readers who are intimately familiar with the source characters may find some of the remaining similarities.

On the subject of names, I've often found that names that feel out-of-place go a long way in killing immersion. For that reason, I tried to follow a naming scheme similar to what the Fire Emblem games already use. A lot of the names (Priam, Paris, Hector, Pelleas, and Aias/Ajax) come from Homer's _Iliad_, or are derived from Greek mythology in general. Others (Gawain, Alondite/Arondight, and Ettard) are drawn from Arthurian texts. Latin also features prominently (Sol, Luna, Astra, and Ignis). I've borrowed a lot of names from similar sources in hopes of making it all feel natural.

I've also tweaked some of the existing characters that I've used, in an effort to add a little more depth to them. You might find that the Fire Emblem: Awakening characters are not exactly like the source material for this reason, but I hope I've kept enough similarities to keep them connected.

Existing pairings at the beginning of this story are:

Chrom x Sumia

Robin x Cordelia

Virion x Olivia (Currently plays almost no part in the story)

Gaius x Maribelle (Currently plays almost no part in the story)

Frederick x Lissa

The other second generation characters _do_ exist, but their parent pairings aren't established, and I don't know if I will actually establish them. I guess it depends on whether they will add anything to the story.

For this story, I do have a pairing in mind for Severa that I'm fairly committed to. I have one for Morgan, too, but that one is kind of unorthodox (there are no support conversations for Morgan and this particular character in Fire Emblem: Awakening). I also haven't really committed to Morgan's pairing, and I'm undecided as to whether to let it build into a romantic pairing, or keep it as a straight friendship. If you have any opinions on this (if you hate the idea of a pairing unsupported by the game's support conversations, or if you like the idea of seeing something entirely different), please let me know. It's probably the biggest point in contention for me right now.

There are a couple pairings for the Tellius games, too, but those are less vague since Radiant Dawn usually only allowed for a few options anyways, and they will become quickly apparent if they become relevant. _Ike and Soren are not paired in this story. They are close friends, and former comrades, and that's it. I won't be changing this, and it wouldn't work with the story I have in mind anyways. Sorry._

Special thanks to Riku Uzumaki for letting me bounce a few ideas off him, as well as help with Fire Emblem lore.

I guess that's about it. I hope you enjoy reading Fire Emblem: Redemption as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I promise to do my best to make sure it doesn't get left incomplete. If you wouldn't mind leaving me a review every now and then so I know people are enjoying my work, I would appreciate it.

Thank you.


	2. Prologue: Dive into the Heart

**~ Prologue ~**

**Dive into the Heart**

_A deafening roar seemed to shake the very air around them. The earsplitting noise was too simply too much, and all within the vicinity of the monstrosity clasped their hands upon their ears. The Pegasi, too, were affected, writhing and thrashing, disturbed by the unnatural roar. But the well-trained, majestic steeds did not falter, and held steady enough that their passengers could remain seated._

_Below them, the beast glared at them defiantly. None of the aerial combatants had ever seen such a creature before, a cetacean creature of enormous proportions, with shimmering black skin. Morgan stared down into its eyes, a pair of glowing orbs of golden flames, swirling in massive, eerily sunken sockets._

_Morgan knew what was coming, but could do nothing but watch in horror, as their foe sank back into the sea. Time seemed to slow as the ocean billowed up around it, and the displaced water rushed outward. Her sister, Severa, saw the danger and urged Catria, their Pegasus, upward. Catria only narrowly avoided the devastating tide, nearly a hundred foot in height, which surged past, crashing into the coast. The torrential wave descended upon the coastal fishing village of Ferox, smashing docks, ships, and homes into driftwood and stone debris. The waters receded, moments later, dragging with them the shattered remains of what had once been a prosperous village. Bodies, animal and human alike, drifted out to sea, their dreams, futures, and lives claimed by the unforgiving ocean._

_"No…" Morgan gasped. All these lives, destroyed in a heartbeat. Destroyed by the very sea that they had depended upon, generation after generation. Severa, too, seemed to be at a complete loss._

_"Focus, Morgan!" At the sound of her father's voice, Morgan spun around. Her mother soared by on her own Pegasus, the Catria of this time. The legendary Pegasus knight was clad in her pristine, silvery light-plate riding armor, and her white wing-shaped hair clips shined visibly, contrasting with her vibrant, free-flowing vibrant red hair. As always, riding behind her was Robin, the famed platinum-blond Ylissean tactician, and the hero who had vanquished the fell dragon. Like Morgan's mother, her father was dressed for battle, wearing his new dark blue, silver-trimmed coat. Beneath the coat, he wore a dark hardened leather vest. _

_Despite the devastation below, Morgan noted that her father maintained his cool, calculating expression. "We have to turn it back! Everyone, see if you can find any weak points! Any vulnerabilities at all!" Robin said urgently._

_"You got it," Severa acknowledged, flashing her father a smile. Morgan was shocked to see her father and sister both blissfully ignorant of the gruesome scene below them. Or perhaps they simply refused to acknowledge it. Morgan knew she should ignore it, too, and focus on the battle at hand. If only it were so easy._

_"Yes sir!" Cynthia answered. Like everyone else, the princess and captain of the royal Pegasus knights seemed completely oblivious to the fate of the fishing village. With her cousin Owain riding behind her, she surge forward, her raven-blue pigtails bobbing in the wind as she went. Princess Lucina, Cynthia's older sister, had borrowed her mother's Pegasus and was flying alongside her sister._

_Severa followed suit, her long platinum-blond hair held in place by her riding helmet. Morgan, like her mother, could never stand riding helmets and masks herself, and looked much like her mother, with her slightly shorter red hair drifting freely in the wind behind her. All around them, the other Pegasus knights closed in on their foe, who now bobbed just above the water's surface, only about a third of its body remaining visible._

_Morgan scanned the monster's body for any signs of weakness. Its flesh and skin were pitch-black, reflecting only the slightest hint of light, as if it were not a living creature at all, but forged from darkened steel. It had two fins, each the size of a small warship, one on each side of its body, spread wide with only the tops drifting above the ocean's surface. Frothy, smaller waves crashed against it, and the beast seemed to take no note of the ripples, or the bodies and debris around it._

_For a moment, Morgan was transfixed upon the gruesome sight. She recognized one of the bodies, a tall, dark-skinned man clad in golden armor, with a black patch stretching across his left eye. She forced herself to look away, telling herself she must have been hallucinating, and when she looked back a moment later, the body was gone. "I was imagining it," she muttered to herself._

_"Imagining what?" Severa asked harshly. "Did you see something?"_

_"No, nothing," Morgan said quickly, and her attention returned to the creature. Her gaze followed the rough, almost skeletal ridge along the creature's back. Though it resembled a gigantic whale, this ridge extended the length of its back, and no dorsal fin could be seen._

_A small crack caught her attention. "Severa, can you get us closer to the ridge on its back?" Morgan asked._

_"No problem," Severa said, grinning. She leaned forward and with a soft tug, conveyed her intentions to Catria perfectly, who obediently brought the sisters closer to their foe. "Did you see something?" she asked again._

_"Look at the ridge!" Morgan instructed. "Some parts of it look thicker than the rest, but they're covered in cracks!"_

_"Well, blast it open, then," Severa suggested. Morgan obediently selected a fire tome that her father had penned for her. Her old fire tome, Valflame, had long since been expended, but Robin's skill in creating elemental tomes had grown, and the Shepherds all had a steady supply of potent magical weaponry, now. A sphere of white flames formed in her hand, as the tome responded to Morgan's summons, and with a thought, Morgan propelled the bolt forward._

_The bolt struck the point precisely, and exploded concussively. Though the explosion was nearly ten feet in radius, the sheer size of her target made the blast seem miniscule. A second and third blast followed, and when the swirling white-hot flames faded, a few new cracks had appeared._

_"It's working!" Severa shouted excitedly. "Let's tell the others!"_

_They didn't have far to go. Though the blasts seemed so small in the distance, Cordelia's keen eyes had spotted the commotion immediately, and came soaring to their side. Needing no explanation, Robin quickly pulled forth his own tome and sent a few blasts downward, toward another of the cracked segments. Like Morgan's target, it soon bore a few additional cracks. "Good work, girls," Robin said, nodding approvingly, and he turned his tome skyward, another blast signaling for the other Pegasus knights to regroup with them. "Target those cracks!" he instructed. "Maybe if we can bust open part of its back, we can hurt it enough to repel it!"_

_"Severa, can you drop me beside one of them?" Morgan asked, as soon as all the Pegasus knights scattered again, swooping and swerving around the abomination, trying to choose their targets._

_"Are you crazy?" Severa protested. "We're safer back here!"_

_"If we can make out the cracks from all the way out here, they're large enough that I could wedge a blade into one," Morgan reasoned. "Drop me on its back. It's not like it's going to be able to attack me."_

_"And what if it starts trying to shake you off?" Severa demanded. "Or it just sinks back into the ocean?"_

_"It's too shallow here for it to submerge itself," Morgan said. "And if it tries to throw me off, you'll be there to catch me."_

_Severa mulled it over for a moment. "Fine. I guess you did think this through," she finally agreed, and she pulled Catria closer, but not quite close enough for Morgan to leap down safely._

_"Closer," Morgan urged._

_"Nope," Severa replied, handing the reins over to her confused sister. "You can use magic, and you can fly Catria as well as I can." That was the only explanation she offered, as she hopped off of Catria's back. Training with the Pegasus knights had made Severa the more athletic of the two sisters, and while the jump proved difficult, Severa still managed to land evenly, a few paces from the nearest crack. With a few quick strides, she closed the distance, and jabbed Passion, the lance she had inherited from her mother in the future timeline from which she had returned, deep into the crack._

_Morgan still wasn't sure what the monster was made of. It was tougher than flesh, and complete unmalleable. Despite the mysterious metallic sheen, it was closer to bone, but more fragile than she would have expected a solid slab of bone to be. As Severa wrenched her lance's shaft downward, Morgan saw part of the creature's ridge chip off, and fall away. Less than twenty paces down the creature's back, another fireball pounded into the ridge, as she tried to help however she could. Still, if the creature noticed the constant onslaught, it did not react._

_Morgan watched as Severa dug Passion into the wound again and again. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that many of the other Pegasus knights had seen their maneuver, and were now imitating them. Cynthia had closed in, jabbing at the cracks with her lance, though from the back of her Pegasus, Caeda, she was unable to aim as precisely as Severa was. Owain, on the other hand, had hopped down on the creature's back. From even footing, the young, brown-haired swordsman struck at the cracks repeatedly._

_Morgan loosed another pair of fireballs into the crack. She meant to continue her barrage, but suddenly, she felt magic gathering in the air somewhere nearby. She spun in time to see her father, holding a tome identical to hers, with a look of extreme concentration. With an expression of awe, she watched amethyst flames spring up around Robin seemingly at random, flowing towards the white, blazing sphere he held in his hand. Finally, the pure white flames had been entirely obscured, and the empowered projectile soared out unerringly._

_The explosion was the largest yet, and the shining white embers were punctuated by the swirling amethyst fire. This time, the creature reacted, bucking wildly._

_"Severa!" Morgan cried out, as she dove for her sister. Thankfully, Severa's reflexes were as sharp as ever, and she clung to Passion, wedged tightly into a crack. Though the sudden movement of the creature had still dislodged her, Severa's momentum was slowed as her lance scraped against the inside of the crack, and she managed to control the angle of her flight, crashing back down atop the ridge. A moment later, Severa scrambled back onto Catria._

_Morgan looked around frantically, searching for the other Pegasus knights, hoping everyone else had escaped the sudden quake. But she was distracted by the scent of ozone filling the air, and a tingling sensation, the unmistakable signs of lightning magic at work. She looked up at her father, the only other mage present, wondering if perhaps he had switched to a different tome._

_Her father still held his fire tome, and was frantically signing for them to retreat, even as Cordelia urged her Catria upwards. "Get away!" Robin cried out._

_Morgan obeyed immediately, but as she soared up into the air, she saw a white flash below. She turned and gasped, as she saw Cynthia diving towards the foe instead, to where Owain lay unconscious. "Cynthia!" Morgan cried. Ignoring her father's orders, Morgan, too, dived towards them._

_Suddenly, bolts of lightning flew out from the whale-like monstrosity. Thousands of vicious streaks of blue lightning ripped through the air. Morgan watched in horror as a bolt struck Cynthia, throwing her from her Pegasus, to be engulfed by the ravenous waves below. Still, Morgan pressed on, as lightning flashed all around her, hoping to reach Owain before a similar fate found him._

_Owain's prone form, scorched by the brutal lightning, spun through the air past her. Morgan instinctively swerved, and she reached out as if hoping to catch the young man by the arm. Behind her, Severa, too, reached out for their friend. As if the fates were taunting them, Owain's fingers brushed against the back of Severa's hand for the briefest moment, and both girls looked directly into his dead, empty eyes for a split second, before his body, too, plummeted to the frigid waters below._

_Hundreds of Feroxi fishermen, dead._

_Khan Basilio, dead._

_Princess Cynthia, dead._

_Prince Owain, dead._

_"This can't be happening," Morgan whispered. "This can't be real." She turned, and saw Severa looking at her blankly, equally stunned._

_And then a bolt of lightning thundered into Morgan. The girl felt no pain as she was thrown from Catria's back. As she fell, the world seemed to become hazy. The cetacean creature began to shift, too. Its golden eyes shifted to a crimson hue, and each eye split into three. Its metallic skin became covered in draconic scales. Its two tusks emerged from the water, as it roared in victory. But as it roared, the slightly curved tusks twisted into angular horns, and seemed to slide up the creature's head until they came to a rest, protruding from its crown. Its ridge slowly retracted into its body, to be replaced by leathery, draconic wings._

_"I AM ETERNAL! I AM THE BREATH OF RUIN! I AM THE WINGS OF DESPAIR!" the fell dragon roared victoriously._

_Morgan felt herself hit the freezing waters. But there was no pain on impact, just the sensation of the clammy water swallowing her whole. She knew she had to move, knew that she couldn't breathe for long, but her body refused to obey, and she sank steadily into the waiting darkness._

_As Morgan descended to the depths of the sea, crimson eyes began to glow, shedding light on numerous corpses, with their skin tinged a deathly, violet ashen hue. All around her, the risen stirred, and began to swim upward, ignoring the doomed woman. Morgan tried to cry out, to deny it all. No sound escaped her lips, only her last gasp of air as the world faded to black._

* * *

><p>Morgan awoke with a jolt. She sat in silence, staring off into space for several seconds, her mind slowly coming awake.<p>

"Another nightmare," Morgan realized, with a small groan. She tried to steady her beating heart, reminding herself that she was safely home, lying in her bed, in her own bedroom. Not on the east coast of Ferox facing that horrifying beast again. "When will they stop?" she mouthed silently.

Nearly a year had passed, since the Feroxi messenger arrived in Ylisstol, bringing word that a gigantic sea monster had been sighted off the coast. Ever since the incident, Morgan had been plagued by such nightmares. She was tempted to tell her mother and father. She knew they would be more than willing to hear her out, and would never make fun of her for it, but still, she would feel a bit silly. She was an adult, and would soon be celebrating her twenty-first birthday (according to her older sister). Adults weren't supposed to be troubled by such silly things as nightmares.

But the nightmares were growing worse, lately. This time, she had seen Khan Basilio… but Khan Basilio hadn't even been remotely close to the coast during the battle, and certainly hadn't been killed there. In fact, the fierce khan had visited Ylisstol only a week ago, hoping to curry favor with the new Shepherds and recruit a new champion, now that his old champion, Lon'qu, had abruptly decided to take a leave of absence to see the world a bit. And the villages had been evacuated before the attack, when her father realized the danger to the coastal fishing towns. The Feroxi people were all familiar with the story of the first Valmese invasion of Ferox, and this time, listened willingly. Two of the villages had indeed been destroyed, but no lives had been lost.

The Shepherds and the Pegasus knights, too, had sustained no casualties. There had been a close shave when Cynthia's Pegasus had been struck a glancing blow by the lightning and disoriented, but Morgan had been quick enough to rescue Owain. Three passengers was normally a bit much for a Pegasus, but Morgan, Severa, and Owain were all fairly light. Though the flight was uncomfortable, and Severa had lashed out at Owain verbally for clinging on just a little bit too tight, they had all escaped safely, and the monstrous creature had been repelled, never to be seen again.

The monster certainly hadn't turned into Grima, and there definitely weren't any risen sighted.

But despite the glaring differences, somehow the dream had still felt so real, and the fears clung to Morgan relentlessly. She forced her eyes shut once more, hoping to find a bit more sleep before dawn arrived.

Only then did Morgan realize she wasn't alone. She nearly jumped out of her bed when she realized there was someone else in her bed, snuggling against her, but when she realized who it was, she only laughed lightly at her own nervousness. "Hello, Morgan," she whispered to her own younger self.

The four-year-old was sound asleep. Normally, the younger Morgan shared a room with the youngest of her older "sisters". Their home had enough rooms for each of them to have their own room, but neither of the two youngest girls really wanted a room to themselves yet. Sometimes, even sharing a room with five-year-old Severa wasn't enough for little Morgan, though, and the little red-haired girl would sneak into her older self's room instead.

As Morgan listened to the little girl's rhythmic breathing, she felt some of the tension leaving her, and sleep claimed her once more.

* * *

><p>"Morgan? Are you awake?"<p>

The sound of her younger self's voice roused Morgan from her slumber. Her eyes fluttered open, and she notice the sunlight peeking through her wooden shutters. Though the winter chill had begun to fade away, the mornings could still be a bit brisk, and Morgan found herself wrapped tightly in her thick and tangled woolen blanket. She untangled herself before stretching with a loud yawn. "Good morning, Morgan," she said, smiling at the little girl, who had also wrapped herself tightly in her own blanket.

"Good morning!" the little girl said happily, before bouncing off the bed.

With another yawn, the adult Morgan crawled out of bed, too, knowing what her younger sister had in mind. Together, the two girls made their away across the hall into the restroom, and Morgan reached for a fire tome lying on a tall shelf.

A small basin of clean water rested atop the counter. Below, there was a small tray, precisely the size and shape of an open spell tome. Behind the tray was a metal implement, shaped like a particularly shallow and wide cup. Morgan rested the tome on the tray, and a moment later, a small flame began burning from the cup, slowly heating the water. She noticed that the water was already slightly warm to begin with, indicating that her father had probably already lit the flame earlier. Her mother and father slept in the room downstairs, which had a separate washroom, but Robin was in the habit of lighting the flame upstairs too. He claimed it to be for their sake, but Morgan was pretty sure he just liked playing with fire magic.

While waiting for the water to warm fully, Morgan did a few quick stretches, as was her normal morning routine. Beside her, little Morgan simply stared at the flame, sitting perfectly still with surprising patience.

Morgan tested the water briefly as she finished her stretches. "It's ready," she announced, before helping her younger self onto a wooden bench so that the little girl could reach the basin. After little Morgan had finished washing her face, the adult Morgan did the same, while silently reflecting upon how such a simple invention made their lives so much more comfortable. Especially during the frosty winter mornings, having a ready source of warm water was quite pleasant. The fireplace, too, was now fueled by magic, and there was no need for firewood when the evenings grew chilly.

Morgan noted with some satisfaction that the fire still remained lit. The tome she used had been penned specifically for this purpose. It was nearly useless in battle, as the flames, while potent, were dispersed and took too much time to build up. But while normal flames typically burn for no more than a minute and a half when used with the water heater, this tome, which her father had dubbed "Slow Burn", could last as long as six minutes.

"Severa, the water is heated up!" Morgan called, as she dried her hair quickly, and donned a pair of small wing-shaped hairclips. A few months back, she had decided to grow out her hair a bit. After an amusing incident where one of the Shepherds mistook Morgan for her mother, Severa found and purchased the pearl accessories, which looked nearly identical to the ones their mother nearly always wore. It had been intended as a joke, but Morgan took a liking to the clips and now wore them almost every day herself.

A few moments later, the younger Severa came bounding out of the room she shared her little sister. "Good morning, Morgan!" she said.

"Good morning," Morgan said, as Severa rushed into the restroom while the fire was still lit. The little girl shared none of her little sister's patience, and particularly hated standing there, fidgeting impatiently while waiting for the water to be heated up again. The adult Severa, on the other hand, usually preferred to sleep in, and true to her nature, remained silent behind her still-closed door. Morgan shrugged; her mother and adult sister had both practiced using tomes, too, and Severa could easily light the fire herself. It might not remain lit quite as long, as Morgan and her father were both more experienced with magic, but it would be enough for their purposes.

* * *

><p>"Good morning," Robin called, as Morgan stepped down the stairs. Robin and Cordelia were already seated at the dining table, and the younger Morgan was already sitting happily beside her father, digging into a bowl of warm oatmeal.<p>

"Good morning, Dad. Good morning, Mom," Morgan greeted, as she grabbed a wooden bowl and filled it from the small pot, before sitting down beside her mother.

"Did little Morgan sneak into your room again?" Cordelia guessed, smiling. Cordelia was a light sleeper, and had heard the soft pattering of footsteps against the hardwood floor in the middle of the night. But the younger girl answered first, nodding happily as she continued to eat, and the adult Morgan only laughed.

"Good morning!" little Severa called out, as she hopped down the staircase, rushing towards her mother for a quick hug. Despite her small stature, her footsteps thundered heavily against the wooden floorboards, and the weapons hanging over the fireplace rattled. With a sigh, Robin rose from his chair and casually straightened the two weapons. One of them was his own sword, Eternity. The other was one of Cordelia's javelins, decorated with beautiful sky-blue and pale-pink seashells. It had little practical value as a weapon, but in addition to being a lovely decoration, it held nearly as much sentimental value to the couple as Robin's sword did.

Robin then approached the newly designed cooking range and served out another bowl of oatmeal. "You can sit here, sweetheart," he said gently, as he placed the bowl in front of his own seat, knowing that the younger Severa loved sitting beside her mother.

"Thank you, Daddy!" Severa said cheerily, as she climbed into her father's chair.

"Are you leaving already?" Cordelia asked, as Robin leaned in for a kiss.

"Yeah. Anna says one of her sisters was able to find some of the materials I've been using," Robin said. "I was hoping she'd give up the idea when she found out how rare some of these parts are. It didn't quite pan out the way I envisioned, though."

Cordelia sighed. "Well, you know Anna. Once she smells money, she won't let go. I still don't know if it's a good idea to be marketing your experiments."

"I _know_ it isn't a good idea," Robin said, smiling. "But we don't have the materials to build any more of the lecterns right now, and the princesses have been hinting quite heavily that they'd like a couple of them in the castle."

"I don't know why," Morgan said. "Isn't the castle big enough for a full bathhouse?"

"Most of the castle workers just visit the town bathhouse," Robin said with a shrug. "Running a full bathhouse for just the royal family and the few retainers who live in the castle would be a little excessive."

"Besides, the magical cooking fires are easier to work with than wood fires," Cordelia pointed out, gesturing towards their stove, which was similarly powered by a fire tome. "Still, not everyone can use magic well. It could be a little bit dangerous to start selling these in the market."

"Come to think of it, if we did put lecterns in the castle, who would be lighting them?" Robin wondered. "Sumia might know how to use staves, but she's never used a tome before, to my knowledge."

"Probably Ricken or Miriel," Cordelia said. "Though since Ricken rejoined the Shepherds, he's on the road a lot. Maybe we could teach Chrom how to use magic."

Robin groaned. "I've tried before. You'd have better luck teaching Caeda. At least there _might_ be some innate affinity for magic there."

"Hmm… Pegasi wielding tomes… that's an idea," Morgan said thoughtfully. "Mom, can I try teaching Catria later?"

"I think your dad was joking," Cordelia said, smiling at the thought. "You're welcome to try, but I don't think she'll be too interested."

"She probably wouldn't be," Robin agreed. "Anyways, I'll see you ladies later. Hopefully this meeting will be quick and painless."

"I'll be bringing the girls up to the castle later. Sumia invited us over for tea. Why don't you drop by and join us?" Cordelia invited.

"I wish I could, but I have a batch of wind tomes in the workshop waiting to be inked," Robin said.

"I'll take care of them for you," Morgan offered quickly, eager for an opportunity to spend the day in her father's workshop. In Morgan's mind, even before the workshop had been built, Robin's library was already the most fascinating place in all Ylisse. The workshop full of magical paraphernalia and incomplete innovations were a source of endless entertainment for her.

Robin looked at her with suspicious smile. "Sorry, Morgan. I need them _inked_, not _stacked_."

"Tome stackers!" little Morgan cried enthusiastically, through a mouthful of oatmeal.

"I promise, Dad. No tome stacking today," Morgan reassured hastily.

"And no smuggling tomes out of the workshop, and into the Shepherd's garrison," Cordelia added firmly.

"Oh come on, even Lucina agreed that it was worth it, last time," Morgan protested, smiling fondly at the memory. "Besides, these are wind tomes. They aren't half as fun."

Robin eyed her suspiciously for a moment longer, before giving in. "Alright. Thanks, Morgan," he said.

* * *

><p>Morgan wasn't too bothered by the promises her parents had extracted from her. As she stepped past her father's workbench, she looked longingly at a wooden crate full of paper tubes, each containing various explosive blends. When lit, these tubes would shoot into the sky before exploding into showers of multicolored lights.<p>

According to her mother, her father had invented these years ago, on the road. Chrom and Sumia had missed the first attempt, as they were in Ylisstol at the time, and two years ago, Sumia had practically begged Robin to attempt the display once more. The project had been delayed when Morgan "borrowed" some of the components for a little prank of her own. But she had been more than willing to help her father refine the various mixtures, and together, they had put on a spectacular show in the castle courtyard a couple months ago to celebrate the dawn of the new year.

Unable to resist, Morgan tugged at one of the tubes. "Drat," she muttered, when she realized the tubes were tightly bound inside the crate. It would be difficult to extract a single tube, and her father would certainly notice if she left the crate in disarray, or if the entire crate disappeared.

Her plan foiled, Morgan approached her father's clockwork device, used for inking tomes. It was a fascinating device, capable of penning an entire tome in under twenty minutes from the template. On the other hand, as it required a metal plate for each page. Preparing the template for a real book could take nearly a month. It was less than ideal for duplicating ordinary texts, but perfect for spell tomes which repeated the same page over and over.

After a quick check to ensure the device's ink pot was empty, Morgan carefully uncorked a bottle of ink, blended specifically for penning wind tomes and poured the contents into the device. She slipped a long roll of parchment onto a beam, and carefully extended it onto the wooden tray, securing it in place. With one last look to confirm everything was in its proper place, Morgan wound up the crank tightly. When the crank stopped, she released a small brass catch, and the device began automatically feeding the parchment through, as the metal plate above pressed down. On the other end, a thin metal blade slid back and forth underneath a protective cover, separating the pages.

Morgan inspected the first few pages, and noted that they were perfectly aligned. With a satisfied nod, she returned to the workbench. There was no reason to sit there idly watching the clockwork mechanism do its work, after all, she reasoned. Not when there were new and exciting inventions to play with. She immediately spotted a pouch of warp powder. The new warp powder was expensive to produce, as it required powdered sunstone, a rather rare mineral. It was also inconveniently unstable. Over a short distance, such as within Ylisstol, it could deliver its user almost precisely to his or her destination. But any farther and there was a margin of error, which only grew with distance. Morgan had helped herself to some of the warp powder the previous autumn, thinking to visit her friends, Inigo and Brady, who were living far to the north in Regna Ferox. The unpredictable powder had deposited her nearly ten miles away. Smiling wistfully, Morgan tightened the small piece of rope that held the pouch shut.

Her attention was then drawn to a large, circular, shallow basin full of seemingly clear water. Morgan's smiled widened as she recognized the device immediately. The Grimleal had once used this to commune with each other, and called it the "Oculus", an archaic word for "eye." According to the manuals that have been discovered along with the Oculus, it had to be filled with unholy water, prepared through specific Grimleal rites. Any unholy water they had found had lost the blessing of Grima, though, rendering it seemingly useless.

Robin had been intrigued anyways, and began experimenting with it and other fluids. After some mild calibration, he realized that holy water reacted with the device, too. The Oculus still didn't function quite right; it was meant to allow the user to see across large distances, focusing their attention on someone or something as far as a continent away. But as it was with the warp powder, the substitute components added a measure of inaccuracy.

Morgan still remembered their first test of the Oculus. Robin had guided the Oculus to seek out the adult Severa, who he knew was hanging out in the Shepherds' garrison with the other Pegasus knights and Shepherds. Instead, the Oculus had given him a vision of the castle's kitchen. Though the experiment was a failure, it was a fortunate one; as he was dismissing the image, Robin caught a glimpse of baby Cynthia hiding in the corner. Sure enough, when Morgan and Robin made their way to the castle, they found the exalt and several of the castle's workers running around in panic, searching for the missing princess. They had tried to use the Oculus several more times after, but like the first time, the images granted by it were never quite what they were hoping for.

Morgan frowned as she noted a small symbol, the mark of the fell dragon, carved into the stone basin. It was a meaningless symbol now, but seeing it invoked the images of her nightmare once more. As she thought of her friend, Owain, falling through the air once more, she cringed. Though it hadn't happened that way in actuality, Morgan was still worried for her friend.

Not long after the incident in Ferox, the Shepherds decided to investigate the appearance of the strange sea monster. The search proved unsuccessful, as very little was known about the hostile. Eventually, the rest of the Shepherds simply called off the investigation. Owain, though, was determined to learn more, and set off with his normal dramatic declarations of adventures and heroics. At first, the others thought it was just Owain being his usual eccentric self. But after two weeks, they began to worry, and their search began anew, this time focused on their absent companion.

The search proved fruitless, save for a single letter that Owain had left for them, in the hands of the mayor of a small fishing village on Ylisse's eastern coastline. Their intrepid friend had taken to the seas, seeking out the various island civilizations in hopes that someone out there knew more about the potential threat.

Nearly a year had passed, and neither the monster, nor Owain, had been seen again. The Shepherds and the Pegasus knights continued their search, going as far as to send messengers to all the islands known to be populated, but though there were numerous sightings off the elusive Shepherd swordsman, the trail went cold.

The hardest part for Morgan to accept was that no one else seemed to be alarmed. Even Princess Lissa, Owain's mother, was familiar with Owain's overly adventurous personality, and had assured Morgan that Owain would return safely. The only others who seemed to share Morgan's concerns were Owain's father, Frederick, Owain's cousin, Princess Lucina, and Severa.

The sound of a small bell indicated that the ink pot was nearly empty. Morgan quickly collected a second bottle of ink and refilled the device. But she nearly dropped the bottle when it was still half-full, when an idea struck her.

"Morgan, you're a genius!" Morgan said aloud. "Or maybe an idiot," she mused, wondering why it had taken so long to think of her latest plan, as her gaze rested upon the Oculus once more. Out of curiosity, her father had tried to focus the device on a number of deceased individuals. The Oculus didn't react at all to any of those attempts. Which meant, if Morgan tried to focus it on Owain, as long as it showed _something_, it meant Owain was still alive and out there somewhere.

The hard part was going to be to find something that belonged to Owain, or had been in his proximity for a significant amount of time. After a quick check to make sure the tome inking device was still functioning smoothly, Morgan stepped into the adjacent library and started searching the wooden chest where the younger Morgan kept her toys. She returned to the workshop a few moments later, with what she had been searching for – a small, sparkling green gemstone Owain had purchased for little Morgan as a birthday gift. It was a little bit dusty, now, as it had lain there forgotten for some time.

Clutching it tightly, Morgan concentrated on the image of her friend, before leaning forward, dipping her face into the basin, with her eyes tightly shut, hoping that the Oculus would conjure an image for her.

* * *

><p><em>A tall man muscular man with tanned skin and dark, messy hair soared through the sky. Two large brown feathery wings protruded from his back, beating rapidly, keeping him suspended. He wore a long, ragged green coat, buckled loosely at the waist and partially exposing his muscular chest, and a bright red headband kept his messy hair out of his eyes as he flew. His golden eyes flashed, reflecting the sunlight, and his face was unmarred, save by anger.<em>

_"Strife! There are more of them approaching from the west!" he roared, as he closed in on another man. Like the first, this man was suspended in the air by enormous wings, though his feathers were coal-black. The second man was slightly shorter than the first, with paler skin, and his medium-length midnight blue hair was combed back neatly. He wore a tidy, dark coat with a deep neckline. Unlike his companion, his expression was calm, and he seemed perfectly collected._

_"Relax, Valent. They are only eidolons," Strife reassured._

_"King Phoenicis!" called a black-haired, black-winged man, as he flew up to Strife. "From the west! There are-"_

_"More coming. Yes, I am aware, thank you," Strife interrupted dryly, indicating his first visitor. "Still, they are but insects."_

_"Damn it, Strife! You know quite well that these are no ordinary insects!" Valent said._

_Strife rolled his eyes. "I also happen to know you pretty well, my friend. Well enough to know that there's nothing to be afraid of. I suppose you are rightfully angry. Well, no one will protest if you would like to offer a demonstration of your pent-up rage to our unwelcome guests."_

_"That's not the point!" Valent protested. "This is the fourth attack this month alone! The Beorc face the same difficulties, as does Gallia, but where is Goldoa!? Our forces are being pressed, by land and by air!"_

_"King Goldoa is away," Strife reminded. "But they have already sent help. Some of them have reached Begnion already, as their need is greater than ours. But reinforcements are on their way here to Phoenicis." Valent growled, clearly unsatisfied. Strife sighed, in a manner that indicated he was all too familiar with his friend's surliness. "If we are truly being pressed, perhaps we should not be hovering here, idle," Strife said wryly. As he finished, he began flying west, his two companions following suit._

_The battle had already begun by the time the king and his companions arrived. Over a dozen massive hawks and ravens, each at least the length of an adult man, with a wingspan twice as wide as they were long, spiraled through the air, slashing at their foes with their mighty, razor-sharp talons._

_The insects, as Strife had so derogatively labeled them, resembled large moths. They were nearly four feet in length, and their flesh was dark and without texture, as if they had been born from shadow itself. Only their wings and heads were clearly visible. Their scaly wings were almost translucent, though tinting the light that pierced them, and punctuated by black veins. Their heads resembled human skulls, and their eerie, skeletal faces were composed of the same dark matter as the rest of their bodies, with golden glowing flames shining out from their hollow eye sockets, and sharp fangs protruding from their otherwise human-like jaws. Their abhorrent appearance did little to deter the many hawks and ravens._

_Over three dozen eidolons hovered around the birds, who were outnumbered two-to-one. But by the time Strife and Valent joined the fray, the numbers had already been evened out. As Strife dove forward, his body transformed, and was replaced by that of a large raven, much like the other ravens in battle around him. Similarly, Valent changed into a massive brown hawk. While Strife was nearly indistinguishable from their allies, Valent was significantly larger than even the largest hawk present._

_As the last of the eidolons met a grisly fate at the ends of Valent's talons, Strife reverted to his humanoid form. "Come on. There's more of them below."_

_"I'm surprised you're here, Raven King," one of the hawks said with a smirk, as he, too, reverted to a humanoid appearance. This man appeared far older than Valent, despite being smaller in stature. "Shouldn't you be hiding in your nest?"_

_"Watch it, hawk!" one of the ravens said, similarly reverting, but Strife held up his hand commandingly, demanding an end to the senseless argument._

_"Hold your disdain in check, Horus," King Phoenicis said to the hawk sternly. "I know some think quite little of us ravens, but I know my place. Better than you, I imagine. Now let us be off."_

_The hawk had no suitable retort for the raven, especially when Valent reverted to his human form and glared at him. The rest of the birds, too, shifted until they resembled winged humans, and together, they descended into the forests below._

* * *

><p>Morgan withdrew from the basin, gasping for air. She had buried her head in the basin far longer than advisable, but the image the Oculus had provided to her was simply too bizarre for her to let it fade away. As she tried to catch her breath, she tried to make sense out of the image. Humans with wings. Humans turning into birds. Strange monsters, with golden glowing fires for eyes. None of it made any sense, and worst of all, none of it had <em>anything<em> to do with Owain.

"Or does it?" Morgan asked aloud, uneasily, as she began to understand the vision. Many stories spoke of humans who could transform themselves. But apart from the Manaketes, who carried within them the blood of dragons, Morgan was only reasonably sure of the existence of one more group of shape shifters. A little over a year ago, Morgan and her family visited a small settlement on the edges of Ylisse called Azure Pyre, where they met a young warrior named Priam. Priam claimed to be a descendant of the legendary Radiant Hero from the faraway land of Tellius, a continent shared by the Beorc, ordinary humans like themselves, and the Laguz, humans with some animalistic features who could transform fully into beasts, birds, and even dragons.

"Owain, where _are_ you?" Morgan muttered, as she climbed back to her feet, wondering if it was truly possible that her friend had made it all the way to Tellius, a continent who few believed even existed. But then she realized something else – the strange monsters the bird Laguz had been battling had the same golden eyes of the monstrosity they themselves battled off the east coast of Ferox. It was too much of a coincidence.

A soft ringing echoed through the musty workshop, alerting Morgan that the tome-inking device was now out of paper.

Morgan frowned, as she replaced the parchment roll, and began binding the completed pages into green cloth book covers. She had hoped to assuage her fears when she invoked the Oculus. Now, though she was reasonably sure Owain was alive, she was more worried than ever. Worst still, there was nothing she could do about it.

She could tell her parents. But that would only worry them, too. With two small children to attend to, there was little they could do, anyways. She could tell Severa, or maybe Lucina, but again, that would only alarm them. Without even knowing where Tellius lay, there was little either of them could do to help.

As Morgan looked around the room, another idea presented itself to her, unbidden, as she spotted the pouch of warp powder again.

"This is crazy, Morgan," Morgan muttered to herself, even as her thoughts drifted to the distant Ylissean port town of Bright Crest.


	3. Part One: Determination

**~ Part One ~**

**Determination**

_I'm not a big fan of philosophy books. Most of the time, they're pretty boring, and they don't make a lot of sense. Still, Dad thinks they're important, so I read some of them anyways. They aren't _all _bad, I guess. I particularly like the metaphors. They're always so… gnomic. They can mean pretty much anything, so they're pretty much always right, and relevant, even when they contradict each other. Sometimes, when I really don't feel like answering a question, I can just quote one of the silly books, and let the person asking me decide for themselves what my answer means. Severa particularly hates it when I do that, though._

_But at the same time, I can see why Dad thinks philosophy is pretty important. It really can help when it comes to making hard decisions. But you have to know what you're looking for, because it can pull you every which way, too. If you're not careful, you'll wind up more lost than when you started. That's why, for a long time, I just asked myself, "How would Dad handle this?" Then again, Dad makes some pretty questionable decisions too. Especially if you ask Mom._

_One of my old books says, "Experience is the best teacher." I guess it's true enough. Sometimes, there's just no substitute for actually trying something out for yourself. But that's not always safe, is it? So, when is experience _really_ the best teacher? When I asked Dad, he told me that it doesn't always have to be your own experience that's teaching you. He said that it's important to learn from your mistakes, but it's even more important to be able to learn from the mistakes of others._

_What does that really mean, though? What are you supposed to learn, exactly? Every scenario is a little bit different. Even if the situation is similar, the same decisions could lead to entirely different consequences. So what are you supposed to take away from these experiences? Just the general idea of what could happen? The mindset involved?_

_Heck, what is Dad's stance on only-partly-crazy ideas, anyways? He's always telling us girls to be careful, but he's the one who decided that stabbing himself with Falchion was a good idea. Mom still hasn't forgiven him for that. Maybe it all worked out in the end, but that doesn't necessarily make it a good idea._

_At least my idea isn't quite that crazy. But I imagine Dad will still probably be a little bit upset with me. Mom and Severa will _definitely_ be _very_ upset with me. I suppose that's why I'm keeping this particular plan to myself, for now. It's kind of frightening, in a way. I'm working this one out all by myself, and the only person who will be able to help me work through the details is someone I don't really know all that well._

_What about Owain, then? He set out, on his own, without telling anyone. And now he's been gone for a year, and no one knows where he is. His friends and family are here, worrying about him even if they pretend otherwise. Am I about to do the same thing, myself? What have I learned from Owain?_

_It's not exactly the same situation, though. Owain was just wandering around, while I know exactly what I'm searching for. Owain didn't leave us anything at all. It took a year and a whole lot of luck for me to figure out where he _might_ be. Come to think of it, what would I have done if the Oculus showed me an empty forest? Where would I even begin to look? Of course, I might be totally wrong. Maybe Tellius is a ten-year voyage away, and there's no way Owain could be there. Think, then leap, right? Maybe I'll be back home in time for dinner, wondering what to do next._

_What about Severa? It was quite a leap of faith for her to come back in time, wasn't it? When she came back with the other children, they thought Chrom had been betrayed by Dad, and they thought they might even have to kill Dad before it could happen. That couldn't have been easy for her._

_I probably made it even harder for her. Even now, we don't know where "I" am from. The Morgan from Severa's timeline never made it back in time with them, because Grima managed to get to her, first. Unless I am that same Morgan, but survived somehow. That's Lucina and Severa's theory, but I don't know if I believe it._

_Severa came back in time, searching for the mother and father that she never knew, knowing that she just killed her sister, and knowing that she might have to kill her father next. All while realizing that she could very well never have a place here, and that she might never be able to go home, either. But she did it anyways, didn't she? She trusted in her dreams and hopes, and never gave up. And everything turned out so much better than she could have imagined. Is that what I'm doing now?_

_I want to see my friend come home safely. I know it could be dangerous, but at least things aren't nearly as grim this time._

_So many experiences, and somehow they all point to the same thing. You do what your heart tells you is right, and things will work out in the end. Things won't be perfect… things are never perfect. But they'll be okay, and that's all you can really ask for._

_That should be the end of it. The answer I'm looking for. But still, I'm not sure…_

_How would Dad handle this?_


	4. Chapter 1

**~ Chapter 1 ~**

The glowing light faded as the warp powder rifts cleared away, leaving Morgan standing in the middle of a large corn field. "At least it's too cold for the farmers to have started planting," Morgan said to herself, relieved. Having to contend with an angry farmer would not make for a pleasant beginning to this journey.

She tugged at the large leather trunk she had brought with her, annoyed. The warp powder had a frustrating side effect of drastically weakening those who used it, for some time. For at least a few hours, she wouldn't be able to use magic at all, and getting into a fight with her sword would be equally ill-advised. Even this trunk felt many times heavier, now that she had been afflicted by the debilitating warp powder.

"You need help with that, lass?" a young farmer called to her, as he made his way across the barren field. Morgan winced, realizing that her arrival had not gone unnoticed as she had hoped.

"I think I'll manage. Thank you," Morgan said politely. "Would you happen to know where Azure Pyre is?"

The farmer looked at her strangely. "You're _in_ Azure Pyre, lass… did you just arrive?" Then, the farmer realized just how absurd the scene really was. "On foot, with nothing save for a trunk that you can barely budge?"

"I'm just a little winded," Morgan said quickly. "I think I must've gotten turned around, though. Do you know where the village is?"

"Just down that road a couple of miles. Are you _sure_ you don't need a hand?" the farmer asked, concerned, as he eyed the heavy trunk.

"A couple of miles? Sheesh," Morgan said, shaking her head, silently wishing yet again that the warp powder could be a little more reliable. She tugged at her trunk again, and realized there was no way she was going to hike two miles carrying the trunk in her current state. "Maybe I could use a hand," she admitted, a defeated look on her face.

"Well, I was just on my way to the market. If you don't mind waiting a few, I'll give you a ride," the farmer offered.

"That would be great. Thank you," Morgan said, nodding gratefully. Ten minutes later, Morgan had managed to drag her trunk to the side of the dirt road, where the farmer came by, riding in a cart tethered to a pair of oxen.

* * *

><p>Morgan thought the village in Azure Pyre looked much the same as it had during her last visit, though she didn't remember it too well, as her family had only stayed a single night. As Morgan walked through the bustling marketplace, she didn't see any familiar faces. In truth, she hadn't expected to; she only knew two people here in Azure Pyre, and neither of them particularly well. After Priam had challenged Morgan's father to a sparring match, they had spent the evening swapping tales in the tavern. Aside from Priam, the only other resident of Azure Pyre that Morgan shared a passing familiarity with was Lena, a former Pegasus knight who had resigned to move here with her brother.<p>

Morgan made her way to the edge of town, where she finally spotted the man she had been searching for. Priam spent most of his days either meditating or training in the meadows around town. Morgan immediately recognized Priam's messy, long, dark-blue hair. Priam still wore the same black headband and silver and blue armor, too. The warrior sat cross-legged in a reflective pose.

"Hello, Priam," Morgan greeted hesitantly, hoping that she wouldn't be disturbing him.

Priam's eyes came awake at once, and he looked her way. He looked a little bit confused at first, for the woman standing before him bore a striking resemblance to Robin's wife, Cordelia, with the same vibrant red hair and pearl wing-shaped hairclips. But Morgan's robe was unmistakable, and Priam's eyes flashed with recognition. "Morgan! It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" Priam greeted heartily, remembering the inquisitive girl from her previous visit. "Is Robin here, too?"

"No, I came here alone," Morgan said. "I was hoping to ask you a few more questions, Priam."

"Well, ask away," Priam said agreeably. "Although I think I've pretty much told you everything I know, already." As he spoke, he collected his sword, and began untying the cloth padding covering Ragnell so that he could sheath it. He stopped halfway, though. "Perhaps you'd like to spar?" he offered.

Morgan shook her head quickly. "I can't really fight right now. I used one of my… of Robin's inventions to get here," she explained, catching the slip only just in time. Beyond the Shepherds and their close friends and family, no one knew about the time-traveling business, or about Morgan's true relationship with Robin and Cordelia. "It's great for getting around quickly, but it leaves you too worn out to fight for some time."

"That seems pretty inconvenient," Priam noted. "A warrior must protect his strength carefully. No matter how peaceful the world may seem, danger may linger only just out of sight."

Morgan nodded. "I know. And warp powder is pretty expensive, so we don't use it much… but this is an emergency. Priam, how far away is Tellius?"

Priam blinked, surprised. "Tellius? I'm not certain. Why do you ask?"

Morgan hesitated for a moment before continuing. "One of my friends disappeared nearly a year ago. I think he might be in Tellius, now, but I can't be sure. Do you know if it's possible to make the journey within a year?"

"What makes you think he's in Tellius?" Priam asked curiously. "To my knowledge, the only two people to have ever traveled between Ylisse and Tellius were…"

"The Radiant Hero and his best friend, Soren," Morgan finished for Priam, for she knew all the legends of the Radiant Hero by heart. "I had a vision," Morgan tried to explain uncomfortably. "Robin managed to refurbish an old Grimleal device that was designed for spying upon others. It doesn't work very well, but it grants the user a vision of somewhere relatively close to your target. When I tried to find my friend, I saw humans with wings, who could change into birds."

Priam's eyes widened. "You saw the Laguz?"

"I think so," Morgan said. "If the Oculus is working the way it always does, it means Owain might be somewhere in Tellius, somehow. But if Tellius is too far for him to have traveled there in a year, then I suppose the device is just malfunctioning. It's possible."

Priam sat down, crossing his legs, and stared across the empty meadow in silence. Morgan looked at him curiously, though she didn't speak, recognizing the contemplative look that had come over the warrior. Finally, after several minutes, Priam spoke again. "Morgan… from the stories I've heard, it _is_ possible for the voyage to be made within a year. But I can't be entirely certain of it, myself. They're only stories, you see?"

Morgan frowned. "I know, but it's all I have to go on. My friend has been gone for far too long already."

"And if it's really a year's voyage away, you have no idea where he will be by the time you get there," Priam pointed out.

"It won't take me a year," Morgan said. "I have a plan… sort of. I just need to know how to get there, and how far it is."

Priam sighed. "I don't think I can help you, Morgan. But I know someone who can. Only, he's not very friendly. I'll try to help you convince him, but I can't make any promises."

"Who is he?" Morgan asked curiously.

"My uncle, Senerio," Priam said. "Come meet me in the tavern this evening. You remember where it is, right? I'll be at the same table we were at last time."

"Alright," Morgan agreed, though the delay made her nervous. Her mother and father would likely find her letter soon. Morgan had hidden most of the warp powder, after bringing some extra in case she had to return home, or if there were any other stops that had to be made. Unfortunately, her father was always better at finding things than she was at hiding them, and this whole situation could turn incredibly awkward if Robin preceded her to the port city of Bright Crest.

* * *

><p>Morgan didn't wander very far. It was pretty difficult anyways, lugging her trunk behind her, so she settled for sitting just across the street from the tavern, on a nice wooden bench, resting and hoping her strength would return soon. She tried her best to ignore the curious glances, for Azure Pyre didn't see too many visitors. Thankfully, the locals seemed content to let her be, and by the time the sun set, she was feeling quite a bit better.<p>

Not long after, she spotted Priam entering the tavern. Priam saw her, too, and waited for her at the tavern door. Morgan hastily clambered to her feet and gathered her trunk, before following Priam as he led her to his private table in the far corner.

"Say, are you and Robin's wife related?" Priam asked conversationally, as they made their way through the busy tavern. "You really look quite a lot like her."

"Umm… you could say that," Morgan said hesitantly.

"You look as if you could be sisters," Priam commented cheerily. "I almost mistook you for her, at first."

"That's happened once or twice," Morgan admitted. "But my clothes usually give it away pretty quickly."

Priam shook his head. "Apparel can be changed. What's more obvious to the well-trained eye are the differences in posture, and your mannerisms."

"Didn't we only meet for a single day? And that was years ago, too," Morgan reminded.

"A day is more than long enough," Priam replied. "A warrior is usually given far less time than that to size up his opponent before a battle."

Morgan supposed it was true, but the feat impressed her nonetheless. She meant to ask more, but their conversation came to a sudden stop as they reached their destination.

As before, Priam's table had been respectfully sectioned away from the other seats in the tavern, to give the celebrity a little space. Only one table remained within earshot of it. In their visit more than a year ago, only one person had been sitting at that table. That person had barely acknowledged their presence during that visit. Morgan was a bit surprised to see that the same person was still there, sitting at the same table.

Her surprise only deepened when Priam seated himself beside the stranger, and gestured for Morgan to take the seat across from them, instead of moving to the larger table they sat at during their previous visit. Morgan looked closely at the quiet man.

The man didn't look much older than Morgan was, herself. In fact, he looked like he could be even younger. His hair was dark green, but so dark that from a distance, it appeared black, and was combed neatly, parted across his forehead, revealing a strange red tattoo in the shape of three roughly parallel lines, and a fourth line striking through them diagonally. His red eyes peered dispassionately at her as Morgan seated herself uneasily.

"Uncle Senerio, this is Morgan. Morgan, this is my uncle, Senerio," Priam introduced.

"Umm… it's nice to meet you," Morgan said, extending a hand and trying to mask her confusion. Senerio ignored the proffered handshake, and Morgan shrank back as the man's piercing gaze bore into her. She averted her gaze, and shot a questioning look at Priam, who looked older than Senerio by at least a few years.

"A pleasure," Senerio said, in a rather indifferent tone. "I am not actually Priam's uncle, of course," Senerio added impassively, clearly understanding Morgan's confusion. "More like… a family friend."

"Uncle, Morgan has some questions regarding Tellius," Priam explained.

"There are legends and songs that could answer most of her questions," Senerio said, in a chilling tone.

Morgan shook her head. "I've looked, sir. None of the legends or songs can tell me where Tellius is, or how long it would take to travel there."

"Even if they did, would you believe them?" Senerio asked. "I remember you and your friends, on your first trip through. You are part of the Shepherds, are you not? You should know that stories of heroic exploits are often distorted."

"That's why I'm here," Morgan said. "Please, sir. I need to learn as much about Tellius as possible."

"And what is the difference between my stories, and the stories which you have heard already?" Senerio asked.

"I… I don't know," Morgan admitted. "I was hoping Priam's stories would be more complete, and Priam said you might be able to help me." She looked at Priam desperately, begging his assistance, but Priam said nothing.

"I might," Senerio said. "But why should I? What value does this information hold for you, Morgan?"

"I think my friend might be in Tellius," Morgan explained. "I often experiment with magical devices in Ylisstol. When I tried to use one of them to find my friend, who disappeared nearly a year ago, I found instead a vision of winged people, who could transform into giant birds. I think they were Laguz."

"Fascinating," Senerio said, in a dry tone. "It sounds like your magical experiment has failed disastrously."

"It's happened before," Morgan conceded. "But I'm pretty sure the vision was accurate, this time. The Oculus usually shows us some place relatively near whoever we're searching for. That's why I want to know whether it's possible for someone to reach Tellius from Ylisse in just under a year."

"And if it is?" Senerio asked.

"Then I'd like to travel there myself, and see if I can find my friend," Morgan said.

Senerio rolled his eyes. "This is why you brought her to see me, Priam? A child who thinks to cross the oceans alone chasing a dream?"

"A child?" Morgan protested indignantly. Senerio couldn't be much older than she herself was, and his condescending tone grated on her nerves harshly.

Priam frowned. "Uncle, she's trying to help a friend. I would do the same, in her position."

"Then you, too, are a fool," Senerio replied coolly. He turned back to Morgan. "Yes, Morgan. It is indeed possible to travel to Tellius within a year. In fact, I suspected a straight voyage should take less than six months. It lies far and directly to the east."

Morgan blinked, surprised that Senerio would give in so easily. But the man's stern demeanor hadn't changed. "Thank you?" she said, hesitantly.

"For? You would voyage six months alone to the east, on my word alone? Your companion, Robin, was supposed to be reasonably intelligent. I am disappointed to learn that his friends do not seem to share that trait. Perhaps that is the reason he has made a name for himself," Senerio said harshly.

Morgan winced at the stinging insult. To her surprise, though, Priam came to her defense. "Uncle!" Priam protested. "Maybe little things like _friendship_ don't matter to _you_ anymore, but it is certainly a valid purpose to be fighting for!"

"She's not fighting for anything. She's not even struggling. She's moving forward without a thought, and without due caution," Senerio said. "Rushing forward blindly, guided by nothing but faith. Faith in magic that clearly doesn't work as intended. Faith in her friend, who has been lost for nearly a year. Faith in someone she doesn't even know, on the word of someone she has spoken to for _a single evening_." Though Senerio didn't raise his voice in the slightest, his sharp words cut deeply regardless.

Morgan's lips quivered, as the truth set in. Yes, she had allowed herself to be led here, by optimism and faith alone. And yes, she had disregarded every bit of common sense in the process, blinded by her hopes. She knew the Oculus didn't work perfectly. She knew, too, that the rest of the magic that she had planned to rely on, was not yet proven. Now that Senerio mentioned it, the plan she so eagerly set out with was riddled with holes. "I guess you're right," she said, in a small voice.

"No, he's not!" Priam said vehemently. He turned away from Senerio, and focused his attention on Morgan. "Morgan, don't listen to him. A true warrior follows his instinct, and so should you."

Morgan looked at him blankly, surprised by his sudden intensity.

Senerio, on the other hand, looked thoroughly unimpressed. "A true warrior fights with his mind, not his heart," Senerio corrected. "Instinct is a last resort, Priam, to be followed only when reason can carry you no further. You should know better."

Priam ignored him. "Morgan, do you truly believe your friend is in Tellius?"

Morgan closed her eyes and mentally replayed the vision from the Oculus. She recalled their former experiments, and followed the line of reasoning through once more, but the uncertainty remained. She heard Priam's words, and Senerio's warnings, and all of her father's lessons again.

She thought of her friend, Owain, in a distant land. She knew he was still alive. And if he hadn't come home yet, it could only mean one of two things. Either he was trapped, or he still hadn't found what he was searching for. And either way, it was time for him to come home.

"Yes," Morgan finally whispered, opening her eyes once more.

"Then I wish you luck," Senerio said. His uncaring tone unnerved Morgan once more, and a terrible thought occurred to her.

Morgan rounded on Senerio. "Were you being truthful with me?" she demanded. "Does Tellius really lie only six months away by sea, directly to the east?"

"Now isn't that a useful question," Senerio muttered sarcastically.

"He was being honest," Priam guessed confidently. "He has no reason to lie."

"Neither do I have any reason to tell the truth," Senerio reminded.

"You'd lead us astray? You would willingly condemn us both to wander the seas?" Priam said, smiling. "I think not, Uncle."

Morgan's eyes widened. "You're coming with me, Priam?"

"Indeed," Priam confirmed. "If you'll have me. Morgan, every warrior lives his life in search of his purpose. Sometimes, it's a grand one, such as a quest to vanquish a great evil or protect the innocent. But Morgan, your quest is of a purpose no less pure. I have spent far too long honing my skills, and it's past time for me to test my mettle."

"Damned fool," Senerio muttered, irritably.

"Unless you need to retrieve your friends in Ylisstol, we'll leave at dawn tomorrow, if that's alright with you," Priam said to Morgan with a broad grin.

"No, we won't," Senerio corrected immediately. "Not until we hear the rest of Morgan's plan. Especially the part about catching up to her friend _who is an entire year ahead of us_."

Morgan was about to begin, when the meaning of Senerio's words sunk in. "You… you would come with us, too?" she asked, stunned. Though she didn't know Priam all that well, some company would certainly be welcome. On the other hand, it had been quite an understatement when Priam warned her that Senerio wasn't very friendly.

"The foolish boy leaves me little choice," Senerio said, and for the first time, emotion seeped into his voice, as he shot Priam an annoyed look.

"Umm… thanks, but I think your directions should be sufficient," Morgan said. "It was more than I could have hoped for, honestly. I know that no one in Ylisse has been to Tellius before."

"That's not entirely true," Senerio said. Priam glanced at him, surprised, but Senerio ignored Priam's questioning look.

"It isn't?" Morgan asked, bewildered.

"You may as well tell her," Senerio said, though he refused to meet Priam's gaze, and kept his attention focused directly on Morgan.

Priam frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Senerio said, in a rather bored tone.

"Tell me what?" Morgan asked, turning to Priam in an effort to escape Senerio's cool, appraising stare.

Priam shrugged. "Uncle Senerio has been to Tellius before. In fact, he was born there," he explained. "He voyaged here to Ylisse by my ancestor's side."

Morgan's face scrunched up in confusion. The stories did indicate that Ike left Tellius with his friend. But that was hundreds of years ago. How could this man, who looked younger than she was, possibly be that old?

"Yes. I am a bit older than I appear," Senerio said, answering Morgan's unspoken question.

"Soren…" Morgan whispered. The legendary mage and tactician who had stood by the Radiant Hero throughout his trials. A man who must be at least centuries old, at the very least. Older than he appeared indeed!

"Indeed. Although, I would prefer you call me Senerio still, while we remain within earshot of others," Soren confirmed. "I would sooner not draw any more attention to myself."

* * *

><p>Soren was predictably critical of Morgan's plan, though, to Morgan's relief, most of his criticism was fairly reasonable, and centered on preparing adequately for the journey. The following morning, the three of them used what was left of the warp powder to travel north, to an Ylissean coastal town and shipyard called Bright Crest. The distance was shorter this time, and they landed just beyond the town's perimeter, where they idled for a few hours, allowing the aftereffects of the warp powder to wear off. Having made the voyage once before, Soren then led Morgan and Priam through the market, where they purchased the provisions that they would require for the voyage.<p>

To Morgan's relief, neither Priam nor Soren were alarmed by the prospect of stealing an experimental magical ship, once she had assured them that the ship was safe and seaworthy. She began to feel a bit guilty for not at least telling her older sister, but the more she thought about it, the more certain she was that Severa would never go along with this plan. While Robin's experiments thrilled Morgan, Severa didn't share her optimism or confidence regarding magical innovation.

There were actually two ships, bearing the same design, but they would only need one of them. They were modeled after the schooners captured from Valm during their invasion of Ferox years ago. In fact, they were two of the ships the Plegians had built for the following war. After their return, the ships had been left along the Plegian coast for some time, but Robin had repurposed a pair of them, wondering if perhaps the lecterns could be put to good use with wind magic.

Each ship had two masts, and a lectern placed near the base of the rear mast. Morgan ruefully remembered the many different attachments they had experimented with, and the various magical enhancements Miriel had offered them, before settling on the current design, a simple magical sigil in the shape of an artistic arrow.

"Which one?" Soren asked, following Morgan's gaze.

"Either would be fine," Morgan said with a shrug. "The _Rainfell_, probably. We've never taken _Stormfall_ onto the open seas before," she corrected herself.

"You and Robin designed these ships together?" Priam asked, eyeing them curiously. To him, they just resembled ordinary ships.

"Not the ships themselves, but the lecterns," Morgan said, pointing out the attachment. "As long as we have wind magic available, we can conjure a powerful wind. We did make a few changes to the sterns, so that it could travel at higher speeds safely, but other than that, the ships haven't been altered much. Oh! There's also another lectern that runs a fireplace," Morgan added, pointing out another lectern on the deck, resting on the stern deck. "And a distiller in the cabin to purify seawater."

"Are you certain we can crew a ship with only three people?" Priam asked. "Most ships of this size would require a crew of at least eight."

"We'll be fine," Morgan assured. "The equipment we added makes a big difference. I can keep the ship running all by myself, if I had to. That was my plan to begin with, anyways."

"I suppose you have a good reason for wanting to steal the ship, rather than simply asking your partner to lend one of them to us," Soren said with a sigh.

"Well, yes," Morgan admitted. But Soren shook his head before she could continue her explanation.

"It matters not. If we're caught, we'll simply tell Robin this was your idea," Soren said simply. "I wonder what the penalty is for stealing from the exalt's best friend is."

"Well, he _is_ Morgan's partner," Priam pointed out. "He might be upset, but it won't be that bad, right?"

Morgan grimaced. Given that Soren had been willing to share his own secret, she felt bad keeping her new companions in the dark regarding her background. Besides, given enough time, sooner or later she would slip up, anyways. Now was as good a time as any. "Actually, it's worse. I'm pretty sure I'll be grounded for life when we come home," she admitted. "But I'm pretty sure we won't get caught leaving."

"Grounded?" Priam asked, unsure of her meaning.

"I don't think Dad would mind me borrowing one of his ships, normally. But I'm not sure he'd approve of this voyage. And Mom _definitely_ wouldn't approve," Morgan said.

Priam looked at her blankly for several seconds, before he understood. "Wait… Robin's your _father_?" Priam gasped. Just as Soren's actual age made little sense to Morgan, Morgan's words didn't seem congruous with what Priam knew. Robin and his wife both looked to be in their late twenties, at the latest. Hardly old enough to have two adult daughters like Morgan and her sister.

"It's a long story," Morgan said sheepishly. "I'll tell you about it during the voyage. Even with the lectern and a steady supply of wind magic, we'll still have close to two months."

"Speaking of which, you mentioned that we would have to stop for additional wind tomes," Soren reminded.

"Oh, right! I brought some with me, but they might not last the whole voyage, let alone the return trip, too. There'll be more in the warehouse over there," Morgan said, gesturing towards a small warehouse just across the road from the docks.

"Well, get us onto the ship first," Soren urged, and Morgan agreeably approached the two port workers nearby.

"Lady Morgan!" one of them said, recognizing her immediately.

"Hello!" Morgan replied cheerily. "Robin sent me with some tomes to run another test on _Rainfell_, but I was hoping to get some of other tomes from the warehouse, just in case these new ones don't work quite right. I wouldn't want to get stranded, after all."

"Of course," the guard agreed easily. "Are these two with you?" he asked, gesturing toward Soren and Priam.

"Uh-huh," Morgan said, nodding. "They'll be loading the other supplies while we collect the tomes."

"That's an awful lot of supplies," the other guard noted curiously. "How long is this test supposed to take, anyways?"

"A while," Morgan said absently. "At least a week. Robin would've come himself, but he's got his daughters to take care of. It's probably more provisions than we need, but it's better to have too much than too little, right?"

"Definitely," the first guard agreed. "Here's the key to the warehouse. I'll help your friends load the rest of your supplies on board."

In truth, the tomes in the warehouse were identical to the ones she had prepared the day before, but Morgan knew the guards wouldn't be able to tell the difference. For those inexperienced with magic, the only distinguishing features of tomes was color of the cloth binding. Even then, it was only color-coded out of convenience for the casters. Morgan wasn't exactly sure why her father was preparing so many wind tomes for the two ships – there were enough to keep a ship traveling at full speed for a year or more. After some deliberation, Morgan settled on bringing enough so that, along with the ones she had brought from Ylisstol, the _Rainfell_ could sail for at least six months.

When Morgan returned to the ship, the rest of the supplies had already been moved into the ship's storeroom. She scanned through it, quickly establishing that nothing had been forgotten. She opened her own leather trunk, too, and retrieved her sword, Eternity. It was the same sword her father carried. Cordelia had forged it herself for Robin at the end of the Second Plegian War. Morgan supposed she must have inherited the blade from him in the future from which she had returned, though she had no memories to support this belief. The rest of the trunk was filled with her clothes, a few spell tomes, and her favorite books.

As Morgan considered the voyage ahead one last time, she faltered momentarily. "What are you doing, Morgan?" she whispered. "You've gone crazy." But the doubt was temporary. Even as she spoke, she saw the vivid nightmares once more.

Some trace of the uneasiness must have remained, for when she returned to the deck, Priam approached her. "Any second thoughts?" Priam asked, in a casual tone.

After a brief pause, Morgan shook her head. "Nope. Let's get going. If we hurry, we could be home in only a few months."

Soren rolled his eyes at her unending optimism, but said nothing, as they raised the anchor and unfurled the sails. After they had drifted a few hundred feet out, Morgan laid a tome upon the lectern, and the wind answered her call. Before long, _Rainfell_ sailed forth, cutting through the surf swiftly, carrying its passengers to the east.

* * *

><p>Not long after, Priam and Soren both retreated below deck, leaving Morgan to tend to the lectern. Like the fire tomes at home, the wind tomes were specifically designed to be more efficient in fuelling a lectern. This particular lectern kept a strong and steady tailwind following them, and each casting would last for at least half an hour.<p>

As she idled on the stern deck, she looked to the east, to where Tellius allegedly awaited them. She thought of Owain again, and this time, her mind was filled with happier memories of their days gamboling along the roads of Ylisse, or lazing away afternoons in Ylisstol.

"I'm coming, Owain," Morgan promised, smiling faintly. "Try not to get yourself even more lost before I find you."


	5. Chapter 2

**~ Chapter 2 ~**

"Morgan?" Robin called, as he passed through the doorway that led from the library to his workshop. His meeting with Anna had gone surprisingly well; the resourceful merchant had managed to track down several sources for the more unusual materials that Robin worked with, and had proved quite reasonable when negotiating prices. Knowing Anna as well as he did, Robin was fairly certain that his wily friend was collecting a substantial margin for herself. But given the acceptably low prices and the scarcity of the goods, Robin wasn't inclined to argue.

He had only been mildly surprised when Morgan didn't end up joining them for tea, or for dinner. Morgan often preferred to spend her afternoons in the library, or relaxing in the Shepherds' garrison. But when Lucina and Severa joined them, and neither of them remembered seeing Morgan at all that day, either, Robin began to worry that Morgan had gotten carried away.

With a bit of relief, Robin noted that Morgan was no longer in the workshop. But that relief faded quickly when he realized the tomes that Morgan had promised to prepare were missing entirely. He looked around quickly, tallying the other contents of the room, and realized that the only other thing missing was the warp powder. "You didn't set off to deliver the tomes by yourself, did you?" Robin wondered aloud. It wasn't exactly advisable, given the instability of the warp powder and the debilitating side effects. But for all of Morgan's intelligence and inquisitiveness, sometimes, common sense was mysteriously lost upon the girl.

With a shrug, Robin locked the workshop securely behind him before heading home. He mentally reassured himself there was no reason to be worried. In addition to her experiences on the road with her family from the war, Morgan had traveled extensively with the Shepherds ever since Lucina became their new captain. She was a skilled fighter and mage in her own right, too. As long as she had brought her weapons with her, Robin his daughter should be perfectly safe.

"Did you find Morgan?" Cordelia asked, in a worried tone, as soon as Robin entered their home.

"No," Robin admitted. "The warp powder and the new tomes were missing. I think she might have decided to deliver the tomes to the warehouse on her own."

"All the way to Bright Crest?" Cordelia asked, remembering the name of the small coastal town. They had visited the port twice during the previous summer, as a family of six. It was a nice and peaceful place, but the thought of Morgan traveling that far alone worried her. She frowned. "Is that really safe? You don't think she tried to warp that far, all by herself, did she?"

Robin hesitated, reluctant to worry his wife any more than necessary. "It should be. Especially if she brought her weapons. I'll go check to see if she remembered her sword, at least."

"Morgan's always carrying her sword, isn't she?" Severa asked, as she overheard their conversation from her comfortable perch in the sitting room, in front of the blazing hearth. She had been playing a card game with her youngest sisters, but had been distracted upon hearing her father's hesitant answer.

"Usually," Robin said. "And Bright Crest is pretty safe. There's probably nothing to worry about." As he spoke, he made for the stairs, hoping that a quick look at Morgan's room would set his doubts to rest. As he approached his daughter's door, he even considered the possibility that she had simply lost track of time, and would be curled up on her bed with a book.

But there was no one in her room. Morgan normally kept Eternity on her reading desk, and Robin was comforted by the fact that it, too, was absent. A book laid open, face up on the desk, with its spine broken, and a piece of parchment covered in what Robin guessed to be Morgan's notes rested atop the book's pages.

Though that should've been enough to set his heart at ease, Robin couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. Something about the scene was oddly familiar, and yet severely disconcerting. With nothing else to go on, he idly paced around the room, inspecting everything closely.

With a jolt, Robin realized that the parchment lying on the book wasn't a page of notes relating to the book, but a letter of some sort, and abruptly, he understood the fears gnawing at him. He, too, had once written a letter to his family, and left it lying in an open book for them to find. He seized the letter immediately and began to read frantically.

* * *

><p><em>Please don't worry about me too much. Especially you, Mom. I'll take good care of myself. I promise.<em>

_I need to borrow one of the ships for a while, Dad. You know, the really neat ones in Bright Crest. I'll take good care of it, too. And I swear I'll help you replace the tomes I used up when I come home. Hopefully, I'll only be gone for a few months._

_I guess I should start at the beginning. Remember how I told you that I had a few nightmares about that giant sea monster that just disappeared after we drove it away? The ones that started right after Owain disappeared, too? I know I stopped mentioning them, but the nightmares never really went away. I don't know if the monster even has anything to do with it, anymore. I'm just worried about Owain, I think. It's been nearly a year since anyone has seen him._

_Anyways, when I was inking the wind tomes, I saw the Oculus, and I decided to try to use it to find Owain. I don't know why we never thought of it before. Actually, I do know. The Oculus never works exactly quite right. But this time, I figured it was okay. I just wanted it to show me something. Anything. That way, I'd know that Owain was alright, and that he'd find his way home eventually._

_Instead, the Oculus showed me a faraway place, seemingly straight out of the stories. A beautiful forest island I've never seen before. Mysterious monsters that looked a little bit like that sea monster we fought. And, most importantly, people who had wings, and could change into giant birds._

_I know it's hard to believe, but I think it was Tellius. Ancestral home of the Radiant Hero, Ike. Populated by Beorc, who are ordinary humans like us, and Laguz, who can transform into animals._

_I don't know how Owain ended up so far away. Or maybe Tellius isn't as far as we think. That's why I'm going to go see Priam in Azure Pyre, first. I don't want to get myself lost, too. I need to make sure it's actually possible for Owain to be there, first of all, and then I need to figure out where Tellius actually is. Since our new ships can move almost four times as fast as regular ships, and Owain probably didn't go straight towards Tellius (if that's where he is), it shouldn't take me nearly as long to get there and find him._

_I'm sorry I didn't tell you all right away. I thought about it, but you're all pretty busy already with little Severa and little Morgan. Well, maybe not you, Sis. But you said you weren't really all that comfortable with our new ships, so I didn't think you'd be willing to go along with my idea if I told you._

_I'll find Owain and come home as soon as possible. Take care of little me while I'm gone, okay?_

_Love,_

_Morgan_

* * *

><p>At first, Robin felt only relief, that the letter's contents were relatively benign. But relief was soon replaced by a wide range of emotions. Primarily frustration, exasperation, and worry. Logically, he knew Morgan was a grown woman, more than capable of making her own decisions. Until he remembered that her latest decision was to travel to another continent on a whim, following the guidance of a man they barely knew, who only had old stories to go on himself.<p>

"I have to find her," Robin muttered, as he considered how long it would take to prepare more warp powder. But sunstone that was latent with magical energy was hard to come by, and even then, the warp powder took some time to "ferment". Even if he had the materials, it would take at least a few days. The Pegasi could reach Bright Crest in two days, but that was two days too late, if Morgan used the warp powder to travel there from Azure Pyre, too.

"Robin?" Cordelia asked, as she entered the room. "Did you find Morgan?"

Robin cringed, already imagining her reaction to the news. "Let's gather in the sitting room. Severa should probably hear this, too," he said, stalling. Cordelia shot him a nervous, questioning look, but obediently followed as Robin sought out his eldest daughter.

* * *

><p>By the time Robin finished reading Morgan's letter aloud, both Cordelia and Severa stared at him in disbelief, with eyes as wide as dinner plates. Robin was actually fairly surprised that he had been allowed to finish the letter without interruption, but he supposed the news had left them too stunned to formulate any questions.<p>

"So," Robin said, clearing his throat awkwardly. He meant to say more, but for the moment, his mind drew a complete blank. His eyes met Cordelia's, who could only look at him pleadingly, as if hoping for him to announce that this was all a joke.

"Is she daft!?" Severa exploded. "Tellius? On her own? What is she thinking!?"

Robin grimaced. "We should've realized she was still worried about Owain. I can tell Lissa and Frederick are worried, too, though they try not to show it."

"I'm going to kill him!" Severa cried furiously. As she raised her voice, her younger sisters, who had been listening without truly comprehending, looked at her, alarmed.

"Is something wrong?" the younger Severa asked in a small voice, with little Morgan clutching her sleeve tightly. Both of the younger girls looked terrified.

Cordelia opened her mouth to speak, to assure her younger daughters, but the words wouldn't come. She glanced at Robin, begging her husband to say something.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Everything will be alright," Robin said, though his mind was spinning already and he didn't sound as convincing as he had hoped.

"Is Morgan okay?" the younger Morgan asked, her grip on her sister's sleeve tightening.

"Morgan is fine," Robin assured. "She's just on another mission."

The younger girls were well accustomed to their older sisters leaving the city along with the Shepherds, and that explanation seemed to satisfy them. "When will she be back?" the younger Morgan asked, her cherubic face brightening.

"As soon as she can," Robin said soothingly. "Why don't you two go to bed? It's getting late."

"But I'm not tired!" the younger Severa protested, trying to stretch her eyes as wide as possible.

"Come along, now," Cordelia said, finding her voice at last, though she still spoke quietly. Still, her firm tone was unmistakable; both girls knew better than to argue, and obediently followed their mother to their room.

Once the two younger girls were out of sight, Severa spoke again, in a softer, but no less vehement tone. "Dad, we have to go after Morgan," she insisted.

"I don't know if we can," Robin admitted with a frown, furrowing his brow as he tried to play through the various scenarios. "Even if we leave this very minute, by Pegasus, by the time we've reached Bright Crest, Morgan would be two days ahead of us. And that's assuming she left us enough wind tomes to pursue her."

Severa looked at her father hopelessly, but said nothing, not wanting to disrupt his concentration.

"We could very well end up following her all the way to Tellius," Robin muttered, just as Cordelia returned.

Cordelia looked quite alarmed by that prospect. "What are we going to do, Robin?" she asked, trying to keep the panic from seeping into her voice. "We have no idea how far Tellius is. We can't leave the girls behind, but we can't take them with us."

Robin sighed, as the truth of her words sank in. Morgan was right, after all. There was no way he or Cordelia could have made this journey. But that did little to assuage his fears. "You're right," he said, in a disheartened tone. "We can't. Unless you don't mind watching the girls while I go bring her back," Robin suggested, though he knew Cordelia would never accept that.

The depths of her concern became apparent when Cordelia appeared to give the plan some serious consideration. Severa could see her mother was torn. "You two can't go, but I can," Severa said, sounding rather determined.

"How would you even find her?" Cordelia asked, and as she spoke, she realized how impossible the situation seemed. None of them knew were Tellius was. In the time it would take to track down Priam, Morgan would only further her head start on them.

"I'll go find Priam first, then," Severa said stubbornly. "If he has any sense of self-preservation, he won't waste any of my time."

"That won't be necessary," Robin corrected, though he still seemed hesitant. "The lecterns leave a distinctive trace of energy that lingers for several days. At least a week, from what we've seen. I've designed a compass exactly for this purpose. If you're quick, you can follow them, like a trail of magical breadcrumbs."

"Perfect," Severa said grimly. "You have two ships in Bright Crest, right?"

Robin nodded. "Yes. Perhaps if the two of us go together, we can catch up to Morgan. The lectern tomes require constant attention, but have the same potency no matter who uses them. It's only the duration of the enchantment that changes. With two of us, we can travel around the clock, while Morgan has to stop and rest."

"You can't go," Severa reminded. "You know Morgan. If she gets distracted, she doesn't sleep much. It could take a while for us to catch up. We could be gone for weeks." That thought only worried Robin and Cordelia further. As talented and competent Morgan was, she had picked up a few bad habits from her father, such as not resting or eating when she was busy. Thankfully, she was quite full of energy regardless, but that would only make their pursuit more difficult.

"Well, you can't go alone," Robin countered.

"Then I'll ask some of the Shepherds to come with me," Severa said.

"The Shepherds have their own business to attend to, though," Cordelia pointed out.

Severa only shrugged. "It's _their_ tactician that put us in this mess. I'm sure I can get one or two of them to come along and help."

"But you might end up following Morgan all the way to Tellius," Robin warned. "If Morgan found any help on the way, or in Bright Crest, you might not catch up at all until she lands."

"Fine. I'll catch up to her there and make sure she comes home safely, then," Severa said fiercely. Robin's brow furrowed once more, though this time, a plan had begun to form. There were other items in his workshop to be explored, still, and perhaps some of them could help Severa in her search. Still, it made him uneasy enough that Morgan was off on her own. Robin wasn't too comfortable with Severa heading out to sea, too.

Cordelia evidently shared his discomfort. "Severa, are you sure about this?" she asked. "Morgan's read so much that she probably knows everything she needs to about navigation and ocean travel."

"I've been at sea before, remember?" Severa reminded. "And I know a bit about navigation. Not too much, but enough. Besides, I'll be following Morgan most of the way, if Dad was right about being able to track the lecterns. And if he can lend me the books he thinks I'll need. I can figure the rest out if it becomes necessary."

Robin shot Cordelia a meaningful look, searching for her approval. She met his questioning look, and after a brief moment, she nodded, though her expression remained one of worry. "Severa," Robin began. "Tomorrow, see if you can find the help you'll need. I'll go through the workshop and find you the compass, and some other tools that might help you catch up to Morgan. Then we'll head towards Bright Crest."

"What if Morgan didn't leave us enough tomes?" Severa asked.

Robin's grim expression was answer enough, but he spelled out his thoughts, anyways. "Then we're stuck, aren't we? Let's just hope that's not the case."

* * *

><p>Finding help the next day proved even easier than Severa had hoped. Her best friend was captain of the Shepherds, and Severa knew that Lucina wouldn't be <em>too<em> difficult about lending her some help. After all, Lucina was almost as protective of Morgan as Severa was. In fact, Lucina's first reaction to the news was practically the same as Severa's.

"She went alone? To _Tellius?_ Is she insane?" Lucina said, aghast.

Severa frowned. "Probably. But Dad's got another ship of the same design, and says we can track her. I won't be able to catch up to her alone, though. I was hoping you could lend me some help."

"Of course. I'm coming," Lucina decided immediately.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Severa said, smiling. "But what about the Shepherds? And besides, we need someone who can use tomes, too."

"I can figure it out," Lucina said stubbornly. "My mother used a staff during the war, remember? I've been taking a few lessons from Ricken. You can help me figure out the rest, can't you? Cynthia can lead the Shepherds while we're gone."

"Uh… that's _probably_ not the greatest idea, Lucy," Severa said. "Cynthia hasn't really been doing much leading as captain of the Pegasus knights, you know."

"I know," Lucina said with a sigh. "But I should be there with you, helping you find Morgan. I could ask Father to lead the Shepherds… I'm sure he'd love it, actually, but if we can't catch up to Morgan quickly, it won't work in the long run."

"I guess you're right. And gods know we can't trust Vaike to lead the Shepherds," Severa agreed. "What about Frederick?"

"That could work," Lucina said thoughtfully. Frederick now led Ylisse's royal guard, but given the kingdom's peaceful state, often had little to do. "But do you think we'll need more help? Maybe we should ask some of the other Shepherds to come with us."

"Come on, Lucy, there's nothing the two of us can't handle," Severa said confidently.

"Maybe we can ask Laurent to come along," Lucina suggested.

"No thanks," Severa said firmly. "He'll drive me crazy. Besides, it would be a little bit suspicious if you were to invite Miriel's assistant, who none of us are supposed to know, instead of another Shepherd."

"True," Lucina conceded. "I think he's still trying to get his mother and father together, anyways. It's kind of odd. I don't think any of us ever stopped to consider that ending the wars more quickly would actually separate some of our parents."

"Yeah. It is kind of weird. Oh well. Can you find and ask Frederick? I'll go let my parents know, and we'll come meet up with you in the courtyard after I pack," Severa said.

"Alright," Lucina agreed with a nod. "See you soon, Sev."

* * *

><p>Packing took longer than Severa expected. Her equipment was easy. The standard light plate armor issued to her by Cynthia was quickly cast aside, in favor of her old leather tunic, with Passion strapped behind her. She also packed a spare set of leather armor and a handful of javelins, though her extra riding gear she left behind. She and Lucina would be riding Catria to Bright Crest, but Catria would be returning to Ylisstol with her parents afterwards. Bringing a Pegasus would require a lot more supplies, and it wasn't easy to care for a Pegasus properly aboard a ship, anyways.<p>

On the other hand, Severa wasn't quite certain what else to bring. If everything went well, they would be home in a few weeks. But if Morgan was able to pace them somehow, they could be traveling for months. Finally, she settled on a handful of her more comfortable outfits, a large pouch of soap, and a second large pouch filled with a mysterious powder she had purchased from Anna. The blend of minerals carried the unique, sweet aroma of the Feroxi springs. Somehow, the resourceful merchant and her sisters had captured the scent and therapeutic feel of the hot springs in this mixture. Severa felt slightly childish in bringing it, but her last voyage had been thoroughly uncomfortable. She was determined to make this voyage a little more enjoyable, at least, and it helped that her father had invented a device to distill and heat water, so that fresh water would be readily available throughout the voyage.

After about half an hour, she met with her parents in front of the library, her personal belongings and equipment either worn or stored in the trunk she carried in one hand, and a traveling bag with basic camping equipment and medical supplies in the other. Both of her younger sisters were there too, and seemed very excited at the thought of spending several nights in the castle.

"I hope Chrom and Sumia won't mind us leaving the girls with them for a few days," Robin was saying, in a worried tone.

"They never mind," Cordelia reminded, as she gently stroked the two Pegasi standing loyally beside her. The two were the same Pegasus: one was the Catria of this timeline, and one was from the future where Morgan had returned from, who Morgan had entrusted to Severa after the war was over. "I'm sure it will be fine, Robin."

Of course, Severa hadn't told her parents who would be coming with her, yet. Severa smiled uneasily, realizing that babysitting the younger Severa and Morgan would be the least of Exalt Chrom's objections to this plan. "I'm ready," she announced.

"Alright. Let's go meet up with the others, then. Cordelia and I will come along to help you clear it with the guards and get the supplies you need from the warehouse. Also, I know you know how to use the lecterns already, but I think we should go over it one more time, just in case," Robin said.

"I know," Severa reminded, for they had gone through the plan quite thoroughly the night before. Still, she could understand her father's nervousness, and she tried to remain patient.

"How many of the Shepherds are coming?" Cordelia asked.

"Just one," Severa said. "But it's better this way. We won't have to pack as many provisions, and the two of us will be fine on our own."

"You'll need someone who can use tomes," Robin warned.

"She says she can," Severa replied with a shrug, and at the use of the female pronoun, Robin immediately narrowed it down to the most likely candidate. Robin found the thought of entrusting the safety of both of his daughters to Miriel a bit alarming, given her eccentric and easily distracted nature, but stayed silent.

When the courtyard came into view, and he saw Lucina waiting for them with her own belongings packed, Robin was even more alarmed, but for a different reason. "Lucina? What are you doing here?" Robin asked frantically, hoping the answer wasn't what he expected it to be.

"I'm going with Severa," Lucina said promptly.

Cordelia smiled, apparently not sharing her husband's doubts, and glad that Severa would at least be accompanied by her best friend. She stepped forward to give Lucina a quick hug. "Thank you, Lucina."

Robin's uneasiness persisted, though. "Severa, did you run this by Chrom, first?" he asked.

"Lucina did," Chrom said, as he and Sumia stepped out of the castle doorway. To Robin's relief, both of the exalt and his wife were smiling.

"And you're alright with Lucina going?" Robin asked.

"Of course," Sumia said. "We've been talking about sending someone out to find Owain for some time, anyways. But no one knew where to look."

"And besides, we have to do _something_ when our legendary tactician somehow managed to misplace his daughter," Chrom said, smirking.

Robin rolled his eyes. "At least it's not a two-year-old princess that I 'misplaced'," he fired back.

"Huh?" Sumia asked, confused, and Chrom and Robin both flinched, as the latter only now remembered that the case of the missing baby Cynthia had previously escaped the queen's notice.

"Nothing," Chrom said quickly, and Sumia glared at him suspiciously. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Robin mouth an apology to Chrom.

"What did you two do now?" Sumia demanded, leveling her angry stare at Robin instead.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Mother, but we don't have much time," Lucina reminded quickly, trying her best to spare her father what promised to be a painfully complete tongue-lashing. "Are you ready to go, Sev?"

"Yep," Severa said, nodding. "You have everything packed, too?"

Lucina nodded, and Sumia and Chrom both approached to give their daughter a quick hug. "Lucina, take good care of yourself, alright?" Sumia said.

"I will," Lucina promised. "Oh! Mother, Father, can you tell my little sisters good bye for me, again? I told them already last night, but just in case… I didn't want to wake them all up so early…"

"Of course," Sumia agreed.

Similarly, the younger Severa and Morgan approached their old sister, who swept them both into a hug. "How long will you be gone?" Morgan asked sadly.

"Not too long," Severa promised. "We'll be home as soon as possible, and I'll make sure Morgan comes home as soon as possible, too."

"Don't worry about the little ones," Chrom assured Robin, who had glanced at him, silently checking if it was alright to leave Severa and Morgan at the castle for a few days.

"Thanks, Chrom," Robin said, and he and Cordelia approached their younger daughters. "Be good, alright?" Robin said, hugging the two girls and lightly ruffling little Morgan's hair.

"When will you be back?" the younger Severa asked, shrinking back as if she was afraid her father would mess with her hair, too.

"We'll only be gone a few days, sweetie," Cordelia answered. "Four, maybe five. Is that alright?"

The little girl actually looked disappointed, and Sumia immediately knew what was on her mind. "You and Morgan can stay an extra night, if your mom and dad don't mind," she said invitingly.

"Of course we don't mind," Cordelia said, smiling. The two younger girls nodded eagerly, beaming happily.

With a last round of goodbyes, Robin, Cordelia, Lucina, and Severa climbed astride the two Pegasi and set off.

* * *

><p>Traveling through the night, the two Pegasi and their riders touched down in Bright Crest just after dawn, two days after departing Ylisstol. Showing no signs of fatigue whatsoever, Robin set off immediately to speak to the guards at the dock. When Cordelia, Lucina, and Severa caught up, they found him heading to the warehouse, wearing a grim expression. One of the guards accompanied him.<p>

"What's wrong?" Cordelia asked, immediately fearing the worst.

"Morgan set out almost exactly two days ago," Robin said worriedly.

"I wasn't on duty that morning, but one of my friends was," the guard explained. "He told me Lady Morgan boarded the _Rainfell_, supposedly to test some new tomes. She took some of the ones we have here in the warehouse, too."

"The tomes are really the same," Robin added. "But the guards here wouldn't know that. Let's just hope Morgan left us enough." He gestured at the warehouse, and the guard stepped forth, inserting a key into the large lock. With a click, the lock came undone and the door swung open.

Cordelia smiled upon seeing the stack of wind tomes in the warehouse, and both Lucina and Severa let out sighs of relief. Robin, on the other hand, quickly counted up the tomes and began thinking furiously.

"What's wrong now?" Severa asked impatiently, when her father remained silent a bit too long for her liking.

"Nothing. I'm just trying to figure out how many you will need. Morgan took just under half the tomes we have," Robin estimated. "A six month supply. If she planned for the return trip, then she must expect to reach Tellius is under three months."

"_If_ she planned for the return trip?" Lucina echoed uncomfortably.

Severa waved Lucina's doubts away. "She did. Morgan might be crazy, but she's also meticulous. I don't think she would forget such an important detail," Severa said confidently. "You said she took just under half the tomes. That means you have enough left over for us, right?"

"Yes," Robin confirmed, before he wheeled out the dolly laden with tomes. "You may as well take them all. Can you get these aboard the _Stormfall_? I'll take a look around here and see if I can think of anything else that might be useful."

Obediently, Lucina and Severa set off to load the supplies onto the ship, while Robin quickly listed off the provisions they would need to the guard. When the guard left, too, Robin opened the luggage trunk he had brought along, revealing another trunk inside, already stuffed full of items he had prepared back in his workshop. He quickly straightened the outer trunk and laid it open.

"Is this stuff all for them, too?" Cordelia asked curiously.

"Yes," Robin said absently, as he began stripping away the cloth tarps covering many of the other piles of equipment around the warehouse. It didn't take him long to find the magical compass he had mentioned, but his search didn't end there.

"Are those fire tomes, Robin?" Cordelia asked nervously, as she spotted Robin loading a dozen spell tomes bound in red cloth covers into the chest.

"They're safe. They're the same ones we use in the house," Robin assured. "They will need them for the water distiller and heater, and the cooking range. There's some aboard the ship already but it might not be enough."

Cordelia nodded, glad that as distracting as the events were, Robin seemed to be keeping a cool head. Even though she recognized less than half of the seemingly random items Robin was piling into the no-longer empty luggage trunk, she knew, or at least hoped, that Robin knew what he was doing.

* * *

><p>"You are <em>never<em> allowed to complain about me bring too much stuff when we travel again," Severa said, awed, as Robin approached the ship, dragging along the two heavy luggage trunks. "Those are both larger than the trunk I brought!"

"I know, and you probably won't use all of it," Robin admitted. "In fact, you're probably better off leaving most of it alone." He flipped the two trunks open, revealing their contents. "Here's the compass I promised. And the stuff in this smaller pouch, you'll want to keep with you at all times. Never mind why. Morgan might be able to figure them out when you catch up to her, but it'll take too long to explain for now. There's a few notes included, too, but they're not complete."

"And the rest?" Lucina asked, eyeing the many strange devices with a look of wonder.

"This trunk is full of spare parts for the lecterns," Robin explained. "There's a short manual diagraming where the parts go. Hopefully you won't need any of them. There's also plenty of spare tomes, both fire and wind."

"Also, a sewing kit, some spare fabric, and some other tools," Cordelia added, pointing out some of the items she had insisted that Robin pack.

"Lucina, can you test one of these tomes out? I just want to make sure you're comfortable with them," Robin insisted, passing two tomes over to Lucina. After a few quick trials, Robin offered her a few tips, and made her run through the routines again.

"Good enough," Severa insisted impatiently, half an hour later. "We're too far behind already. We should be going."

Robin and Cordelia exchanged one last hesitant glance. "You're right," Robin acknowledged. "But are you two absolutely sure about this?"

"Positive," Lucina said firmly.

"Take good care of yourselves, alright?" Cordelia pleaded.

"We will," Severa promised. "Don't worry about us. We'll be fine," she said, though she cringed as she realized how similar her words were to the letter that Morgan left for them. "We'll be fine," she repeated again, as much to reassure herself as her parents.

"You two should get some rest before heading home," Lucina added.

"We'll stay the night before setting out," Robin said, nodding. "Same goes for you two, though."

"We're going out to sea," Severa reminded. "It's going to be pretty boring. I don't think getting enough sleep will be a problem."

"Take care of Ylisstol for us," Lucina said, smiling, as Robin and Cordelia returned to the dock, and Severa retrieved the boarding plank.

"Good luck," Robin said, as the _Stormfall_ slowly drifted away from the dock, and Severa kindled the magic within the lectern. Neither Robin nor Cordelia could tear themselves from the dock until long after the _Stormfall_ disappeared into the eastern horizon.


	6. Part Two: Darkness of the Unknown

**~ Part Two ~**

**Darkness of the Unknown**

_People are kind of strange. We don't really stop to think about it, but deep down, we're much the same._

_No one ever truly wants to be alone, even those who pretend they do, like Severa. When we first met, everyone could tell she was glad to see me. Mom and Dad could both see it. I could see it, too, even though I didn't really know her. Still, she did her best to act like she wasn't excited, and even pretended to be annoyed by all of my questions._

_It was the same way when we met Owain. She was the only one who couldn't manage a smile at seeing her old friend again, and anyone who didn't know her would have guessed that Owain was her arch nemesis or something. But later, I understood that she was just as happy to see him as anyone else. It always seems like she's the least tolerant of Owain's peculiarities, but anytime Owain gets himself into trouble, I can see that she is every bit as worried as Owain's own family. She does her best to hide it behind bluster and indifference, but the way she flinched every time someone mentioned Owain after he disappeared, or the way she'd seem to just drift off while we're hanging out in the barracks made her true feelings all too obvious._

_I don't want to be alone, either. I enjoy the life I've found with my friends and family, and it wasn't easy to tear myself away from it, even for a little while, to start my search for Owain. For one brief moment of my life, I had no one save for Dad, and even then, once I stopped to think, I didn't know who he really was, either. Just a few memories here and there, that might not even have been real. I never want to feel so lost again._

_Severa and I share the same fears, but how we live with them is different. I recognize my fear and hide it away, because fear is contagious, and I don't want to dwell on them so long that they change the way I live. Severa hides from those fears, instead. If it was Severa who worked with Dad in the workshop and knew about the Oculus, would she even have searched for Owain? Somehow, I don't think so. I think she would have convinced herself that she doesn't care anymore._

_It's the same way with grief. After Dad died, I found myself jealous of Severa. At first, I tried to ignore the pain. I tried to force myself to think clearly, but it was no use. I could feel the loss creeping through me, and the grief and sorrow was almost unbearable. It was Severa who managed to pull herself back together first. She was there for Mom and me, and she was even able to help Uncle Chrom and Lucina out of their doldrums, somehow._

_It surprised me how Severa could just ignore the pain entirely, and it almost felt like she didn't care at all. She just seemed angry. Angry with Dad, with the Grimleal, with Chrom, and most of all, with herself. Later, I began to understand. It wasn't that she didn't care. It's that she didn't want to care, and was afraid to care._

_The feelings we share, that all of us have in common, are what makes us human. But how we handle those feelings, how we project those commonalities… that's what makes us who we are. That's what makes me a different person from Severa, and what makes me a different person from the Morgan of this timeline._

_Speaking of being really human, Soren had me pretty worried for some time. When he invited himself along on our voyage, he said he was here to look after Priam. But when he talks to Priam, it's like he doesn't really care about Priam, after all. It's not like Severa, where you can see her trying to filter her thoughts. I don't really know how to describe his apathy. It's like he feels obligated to be here, so he's here. End of story._

_I was wondering what other reason he could have for wanting to make this voyage with us, when I considered that maybe he just wanted to see his home again. So I asked him about Tellius, and about his friends and family. I didn't think he would answer, but he did, and I almost wished he hadn't. His answer was merely, "What friends? What family?"_

_I suppose it's because he's over five hundred years old. Apparently, he doesn't even know who his parents were, other than the fact that one of them had Laguz blood, giving him a far longer lifespan than a normal human. And according to him, he came to Tellius because he only ever had one real friend. And that friend is gone, now. That friend has been gone for hundreds of years._

_Which means he's been alone for nearly five centuries, now. Almost five hundred years of being alone. Watching out for his friend's descendants, but he doesn't even really feel anything toward them. He's just there because he has nowhere else to be. Is he really alive? I mean, he's breathing, talking, and walking around, but there's more to life than that. He's like a tree. Technically alive, but just there, doing nothing._

_When I got annoyed with him, and told him that, he just shrugged. No protests. No annoyance._

_No emotions._

_I think Dad is right. Dad managed to defeat Grima, even though his body and soul both belonged to the fell dragon, because those things just aren't as important. In the end, it's the bonds he shared with his friends, with Mom, and with Severa and me, that proved stronger. Those bonds were strong enough to break Grima's hold on him. Those bonds were strong enough to bring him back to us, to keep his body and life together, even though the magic that composed it was gone._

_But with Soren, there aren't any bonds left. Those he once had, that once gave his life direction, have all been taken from him, and he's just drifting along now._

_It makes me wonder what such a life would be like. Empty, I imagine. Severa, Mom, and I felt that way after Dad died. But even then, we had each other, didn't we? We had our friends standing by us. We were never really completely alone._

_What's it like to lose absolutely everything?_

_That's one mystery I hope I never learn the answer to._


	7. Chapter 3

**~ Chapter 3 ~**

"Marjorie! The cake is ready!" Lily announced happily, as she stepped into the tavern. Her light-brown hair was neatly combed, and contrasted nicely with her bright, flower print dress. Her best friend, Noelle, followed her into the tavern, dressed in a simple white tunic. The two of them were carrying a large but simple pastry between them on a smooth, burnished wooden platter. It was nothing too elaborate, but that was the way of life out here in Silent Grove, a small village deep in the coastal Snowflake Forest. You wouldn't find silver platters with elaborate, sugary confections glazed and decorated in a myriad of colorful fruits here. Just home-made treats with honey harvested from beehives in the surrounding woods, eggs and milk from the small ranch in the village, and wheat flour and fresh strawberries from their own fields.

"Just set it down on the large table over there," the busty tavern keeper replied, smiling as she continued cleaning a large batch of wooden goblets. The middle-aged woman had no children of her own, but it bothered her little. Since she owned one of the two unofficial gathering places in Silent Grove, she considered all of the children, teens, and young adults her children.

The two young woman made their way across the tavern, moving to the table Marjorie had indicated to them. As they went, Lily began singing softly to herself cheerfully, while Noelle frantically tried to keep the plate steady. It was always that way with the two of them – Lily was a bit on the dreamy side. There was a good reason Lily was rarely set to her tasks alone. Marjorie fought hard to suppress a laugh when she noticed that Noelle's blond hair was terribly disheveled. She could easily imagine the many near-disasters in the kitchen in the process of preparing the pastry.

"Mother? Is there anything I can help with?" Marjorie turned to see her adopted daughter, Iris, making her way down the wooden stairs. A stranger might have been startled at the contrast between the two women. Iris's long, black hair flowed smoothly past her shoulders, neatly framing her fair skin, while Marjorie's blond hair was bound into a simple bun, and obscured by a cloth hairnet. Where Marjorie's vibrant sky-blue eyes were full of life, Iris's lavender eyes shone with serenity and a floating, distant quality. And a pair of dark brown wings, furry and leathery at the same time, were folded neatly behind Iris, just barely quivering as she lightly descended the staircase.

"You're awake already, dear?" Marjorie asked, peeking out the window and noting that the sun was just beginning to set.

"Of course," Iris said, with a shy smile. "I wouldn't want to sleep through Rogue's birthday party!"

"Speaking of which, where _is_ he?" Noelle asked, sounding annoyed.

"He said he was going for a walk in the forest," Lily replied. "I did tell him to make sure he came back by sunset, though."

"Maybe he forgot about the party," Noelle suggested snidely. "One of us should probably go down to his farmhouse and fetch him."

"I can do it," Iris offered.

"Actually, Iris, could you find your father?" Marjorie requested. "I'm sure he'll be doing most of the drinking tonight, anyways. At least he can help us collect the wine from the cellar."

"Oh! Of course," Iris agreed hastily.

"I'll go find Rogue," Lily volunteered eagerly.

* * *

><p>Lily found herself skipping happily down the dirt road, as she made her way to the farmhouse where her <em>other<em> best friend lived. As she made her way down the familiar path, she found herself reminiscing about the first time she and Rogue met.

The dark-haired young man had stumbled upon the village two years ago, seemingly by mistake. He was wounded, but not too severely. Instead, it was starvation and thirst that had incapacitated him. Of course, at the time, all Lily had on hand was a handful of wildflowers she had gathered earlier that morning. She could still remember his incredulous look when she offered them to him. Thankfully, she recovered her wits reasonably quickly and brought him a mug of clear, cool water and loaf of fresh bread, too.

As it turned out, the man had lost his memories. He didn't even know his own name, and was unable to explain how he got there, or the strange brand on the inside of his right forearm. With nowhere else to go, the villagers of Silent Grove offered him a place amidst them.

They gave him a name and a home, and before long, needing something to do to fill his days while he waited for his memories to return, Rogue offered to tend to the old farm that had fallen into disuse after the previous owner, Lily's grandfather, passed away. Lily wasn't much of a farmer, but the village had survived, as the farm that now belonged to her was only one of the village's three farms. Lily had been more than happy to turn the farm over to Rogue, and since then, Silent Grove had enjoyed a healthy surplus of food. Rogue also grew plenty of beautiful flowers, at Lily's request, which now adorned nearly every building in the village.

Rogue had brought an added measure of safety as well, Lily thought, as she passed by a pair of eidolons, obediently standing at their posts around the farm. The creatures were a little bit intimidating, with their skull-like heads, bodies seemingly forged from shadow itself, and glowing, fiery golden eyes. The deformed creatures were oddly humanoid, yet could never be mistaken for a person, with their excessively long arms tipped with hooks that dragged against the ground, stubby legs, and hunched posture. In the recent decades, the presence of these monsters across the continent had grown, according to the traveling merchant, Harmony. About two months after Rogue took up residence in the old farmhouse, Harmony had visited the village with a cart full of exotic goods. She had taken a liking to Silent Grove, and now visited at least once a month.

The eidolons were normally aggressive and dangerous, but not long after Rogue arrived, the villagers learned that the mysterious young man could control the creatures somewhat. Now, several of the eidolons stood guard around the village, attacking and destroying any threats that arose. Normally, it was just wild wolves, but on at least one occasion, the monsters had thwarted a small bandit raid, and on at least three others, the eidolons had battled against other eidolons who had happened across Silent Grove.

While the others had accepted the miraculous gift without question, Rogue only found himself more disturbed about his past. It _was_ quite strange for an apparently normal human to be able to simply reach out and control the feral eidolons, and Rogue was convinced that his past held many dark secrets. Still, nothing had come of his attempts to remember, or his queries to Harmony, the village's real only conduit to the outside world.

"Hmm… he must not be home yet," Lily murmured, as she noticed the farmhouse was dark behind the wooden shutters. Another pair of eidolons stood perfectly still out front, and eerie as they were, Lily knew they would not harm her. She slipped into the house, and sure enough, the drafty, simple wooden home was empty.

Lily's eyes widened as she spotted a small clothbound square box resting on the dining table. She knew what was inside, of course, having helped Rogue choose the design a few weeks back, and she had been wondering for some time when Rogue would finally find the courage to offer the decorated, thin platinum band within to its soon-to-be rightful owner.

For a moment, Lily toyed with the idea of hiding the ring. But such a prank would be going a bit too far, she decided. Besides, she wasn't sure her friend had any plans for it this evening, anyways. He had been thinking it over for quite some time now. Or overthinking it, as Lily often put it.

Suddenly, the door opened loudly behind her, and the sound of footsteps rang out loudly against the wooden floor. "About time," Lily said, feigning impatience, as she turned. Even as she spoke, though, she realized that Rogue stepped far more lightly than whoever was with her now.

When she turned, she found a tall, intimidating blonde standing behind her. The intruder wore a fine black leather bodice that hugged her generous curves rather tightly, and kept her long hair tied neatly in a sharp ponytail. In her right hand, she carried a book with hard, cloth-sleeved covers dyed white and gold. As the woman saw Lily, she smiled, baring her perfect white teeth, though her intense, penetrating stare was far from comforting. A blood-red brand, roughly in the shape of a sword, was visible on her forehead.

"Where is he?" the mysterious woman demanded.

"Where is who?" Lily asked nervously. "Who are you?" she added, not recognizing the woman. Silent Grove didn't often receive visitors, and Lily knew every one of the village's residents quite well.

"Don't play dumb with me, girl," the woman said harshly, as she gestured out the open door, to where one of the eidolons could be seen. "You know as well as I do that eidolons don't normally make such perfect guard dogs. Where is Tantalus?"

"Tantalus?" Lily asked, not recognizing the name. But even as she echoed the name, a thought occurred to her. "Wait, do you know Rogue!?" Lily asked, her fear forgotten for the moment.

The stranger's eyes narrowed for a moment, and Lily faltered uneasily. But then, the woman burst out laughing. "Rogue? Really? My, my, Tantalus. If you're going to choose an alias, you should at least choose an actual name."

"He's… he's lost his memory," Lily interjected hesitantly. "Do you know him? Does he have any family?"

"Lost his memory? Of course," the woman sneered. "How convenient. He steals the shard, flees from us, and now amnesia just _happens_ to set in." Before Lily could protest further, she stepped out of the house and called to her followers. Nearly thirty soldiers stood outside the home, now. "Tantalus has these fools in his pocket. Destroy the village."

"What!?" Lily gasped, horrified, as she followed. "You can't do that!"

Even as she made to step over the threshold of the wooden home, the stranger spun, and a beam of shimmering white light leapt from her left hand, a powerful spell conjured from her tome. The beam struck Lily in the chest, and the light seemed to envelope her from head to toe as she was thrown several steps backward. She collapsed lifelessly, without a sound, a hole burned through her heart.

"Lady Medea, our orders were to avoid leaving a trail," one of the soldiers outside protested, trying hard to ignore his leader's infamous and brutal behavior.

"And so we won't," Medea replied flippantly. "Just a simple, burnt up, husk of a town. The dead shall not whisper of our passing to dear old Tantalus."

"But we don't even know if it really was Tantalus!" a second man protested.

Medea waved her hand dismissively. "We know Tantalus is in this area, and not many can control the eidolons as he can." She turned to the eidolons, and gestured towards them. As she did, the brand on her forehead flashed.

Normally, it wasn't easy to seize control of an eidolon that was already being guided by another. But Tantalus must have overextended himself, or perhaps he didn't bind these eidolons too tightly, for Medea found little resistance as she assumed command of them.

"Assist them!" she barked, and the eidolons obediently fell in line behind her soldiers. She turned and followed the dirt path towards the forest, away from the doomed village. "Destroy the town. Let none survive. Leave a handful of men to keep an eye out for Tantalus, if he comes back, but wait no more than a week. After that, regroup in Wilderness's Edge and return to the citadel, with or without the traitor."

* * *

><p>The wooden steps leading to the tavern's cellar creaked loudly, strained by the combined weight of the portly form of Marjorie's husband and the two massive kegs of wine he carried, one over each shoulder. "You alright, sweetie?" he called back, as he cleared the last step.<p>

Behind him, Iris seemed to be struggling with a single smaller cask of cider. "I'm fine," she assured. Though the cask she carried weighed only thirty pounds, less than half the weight of each of the larger kegs her adoptive father carried, with her light and slender frame, she had both arms wrapped tightly around the cask in an effort to keep it steady.

"I asked _you_ to get the wine, Jake," Marjorie protested, when she saw the girl struggling with the cider.

"She volunteered to help," Jake said with a shrug, as he set the kegs down quickly and helped his daughter with the cider.

"I'm okay. Really," Iris assured.

The tavern had filled up pretty quickly. Everyone in town knew about the celebration. Of course, Rogue didn't actually remember his real birthday. But Lily insisted he should have a birthday party, anyways, and they settled on the anniversary of his arrival in Silent Grove, which was exactly two years ago this day.

"The boy must be late," Jake muttered. "If he doesn't hurry, he'll miss all the drinking."

"Rogue doesn't drink," Marjorie said, rolling her eyes. "And you are _not_ getting yourself drunk before he even arrives."

Jake groaned, and did his best to ignore his wife. "Where's Mark?" he asked, changing the subject. Mark was one of the other two farmers living in their village, about the same age as Rogue, who the village had collectively decided was in his early twenties.

"He's preparing his special vegetable stew. He should be here any moment," Noelle answered. Right on cue, the door swung open, and the brown-haired farmer rushed into the room. But he carried no stew, and his expression was one of panic.

"Soldiers!" Mark cried. "There's soldiers in our town! They set my house on fire, and one of them attacked me!"

The gathering fell silent, and every villager stared at Mark in confusion. Then, as the words sank in, they began to look at each other, panicked.

"Hold it!" Marjorie demanded fiercely. "Everyone, calm down! Mark, what's all this nonsense about soldiers? And where are the eidolons?"

"There's no time!" Mark said frantically. "They're on their way! And the eidolons are fighting _for_ them! One of them was tearing apart the barn!"

"My barn!" an old man, Silent Grove's lone rancher, shouted angrily, jumping to his feet.

The door flew open again, and this time, it sailed off its hinges completely, as four eidolons stormed into the room. They snarled and charged, their deadly talons finding flesh as the villagers scrambled to get away. Screams of pain and fear rang out.

And then the soldiers stormed into the room too. Their steel armor had been dyed black, and the only insignia visible on any of the armor was a strange white icon, vaguely resembling a skull, a symbol unfamiliar to any of those in the room, if they even had time to inspect the raiders. The sound of swords being unsheathed added to the commotion, and soon, blood sprayed the wooden floors and tables.

Though the villagers had grabbed for empty bottles, broken table legs, and the village smith even pulled out a hammer that she had accidentally brought with her from her workshop, it was no real battle, but a slaughter.

"Iris! Run!" Jake barked, as he swung a massive keg into one of the soldiers. The keg shattered as it slammed into the soldier's helmet, and the soldier fell back dazed. "Just get out of here! Find Rogue!" he demanded.

"But…!" Iris protested, as she shrank back.

"Go!" Marjorie pleaded. Those were her last words to her daughter, as one of the eidolons caught her, its vicious claws raking brutally across her back as it flung her body to the floor, ignoring her agonized screams.

"Mother!" Iris cried out, horrified.

Jake let out a bellow of rage and charged the eidolon that had murdered his wife, but though he was far larger, he was unarmed and no match for the monster's vicious talons. He fell away, gasping futilely for air, vaguely realizing that the eidolon's claws had punctured his lungs.

Iris stood perfectly still, transfixed upon her dying parents, deaf to the cries all around her. Then, one of the eidolons reached her. She stumbled back instinctively, avoiding the creature's claws. As she tumbled to the floor, her body began to shift, and suddenly, the eidolon was pursuing not a girl, but a large bat. Iris's wings beat rapidly as she gave a loud shriek, and soared up the stairs.

The eidolon gave chase, but had no wings to follow when Iris soared through the second story window. The window was a bit small for Iris, and even as she burst through the wooden shutter, her wings slapped painfully against the windowsill, but she stabilized her flight easily enough. Tears streaked down her transformed face as she realized her parents, and most of her friends, were doomed. Desperately, she flew towards the farmhouse, hoping to find Rogue before it was too late for him and any others who had been late in joining them in the tavern that night.

* * *

><p>It was hard for Iris to fly straight, with the images of the chaotic bloodbath so fresh in her mind. Thankfully, Rogue's farmhouse wasn't too far, and it seemed the invaders had taken no notice of her as she fled the tavern. Though the moon and stars shined brightly, thanks to her inconspicuous silhouette, any of the soldiers scrambling around the village square who happened to look upward paid her very little attention.<p>

She flew past the farmhouse, at first, looping around to get a clear view of the entrance. The door was clearly ajar, and the eidolons that normally stood guard were markedly absent, to Iris's relief. Though the rest of the village seemed to enjoy the presence of the protective creatures, despite their grotesque appearance, Iris had never grown quite comfortable around them. Once she was fairly certain that the area was clear, she descended to the ground and reverted to her human form.

Her stomach turned when she looked through the doorway at last, and found Lily lying just within Rogue's home. Repulsed by the gruesome scene, she nearly turned and left until she remembered that Lily had come here in search of Rogue quite some time ago. The invaders must have visited the farmhouse before moving north to the tavern.

Spurred on by fear for her friend, Iris lightly stepped into the home, trying not to look into Lily's hauntingly peaceful expression. To her relief, Rogue was nowhere to be seen. "You must still be out in the forest," Iris whispered quietly.

She turned to leave, but as she did, she spotted the small box lying on the dining table. The material looked strikingly foreign, and Iris knew immediately that it was something Rogue must have purchased from one of the visiting merchants. Intrigued, and momentarily distracted from the horrors surrounding her, she stepped closer for a better look.

Her eyes filled with tears again, as she saw what the box contained. She couldn't avert her eyes from Lily's body any longer, either. Though she hadn't lived among the Beorc very long, she knew the significance of the trinket. And even if she hadn't seen the intricate flowery patterns in the setting, she thought she would have been able to guess who the ring was for. "I'm so sorry, Lily," Iris whispered.

The sound of heavy footsteps snapped Iris out of her lamentations. She knew immediately that it wasn't Rogue; her friend moved remarkably silently, even across the hard wooden floors within buildings, and would never make such a loud noise traversing the soft dirt path outside. It had to be the soldiers.

Instinctively, Iris grabbed the small box and transformed into a bat once more. She shot out through the doorway, soaring over the heads of three of the invading soldiers. With a shout, the soldiers gave chase, while Iris frantically sped to the west, trying to put as much distance between her and her pursuers as possible.

* * *

><p>Not far from the village, out in the woods, Rogue carefully made his way back towards his home. He stood just around six feet tall, but despite his height and deceptively muscular frame, his movements were flawlessly measured, making no noise at all to disturb the quiet forest ambience. His long, flowing, brown leather coat with an elegantly folded collar hung just past his knees, sweeping behind him with only a whisper. Sleepy little Silent Grove, on the fringes of civilization, was a wonderful home, but a bit of wanderlust rested within Rogue's heart, and he often ventured out into the surrounding forest.<p>

Lily would be rather annoyed with him, he knew. At her insistence, some of his friends would be gathering in the tavern tonight to celebrate the anniversary of his arrival. Then again, with a village the size of Silent Grove, and factoring that half the residents spent their evenings in the tavern anyways, Rogue honestly wouldn't be surprised if the entire village showed up. Still, the delay couldn't be helped.

Eidolons were fairly common these days. Thankfully, they weren't much of a threat to Rogue. He could control several of them, but his unnatural ability frightened him as much as it intrigued him, and he preferred to destroy most eidolons outright. Still, he was an able fighter, and whenever he left the town, he carried his sickle with him. The first few times he had ventured forth from the village into the surrounding woods, he had only the old farming tools Lily had given him for self-defense. He had managed to salvage some better ore from the caves by the lake, and with the smith's help, he reforged the old sickle into a sturdier tool and reasonably potent weapon.

On this expedition, though, Rogue had found what appeared to be some sort of artificial gateway. Eidolons typically emerged from uncommon, though naturally occurring dimensional rifts. This time, he had followed a pack of eidolons until he discovered a rift, bound by a device of stone and metal. He wasn't sure where the thing came from, but it was certainly a recent addition. In fact, judging by the last time he visited the lake that the machine had been placed beside, it must have been moved there sometime in the past two weeks.

As Rogue silently wondered who would have placed the gateway there, and why anyone would invent such a horrible thing in the first place, he sought out a particular section of the thicket and agilely climbed through, taking the shortest route back to the village. He was careful not to allow his coat to get caught on the branches, but his medium length black hair fell into his eyes as he made his way through, and he blew it aside impatiently. "Going to have to trim it soon," he muttered to himself.

Less than fifty paces down the forest road, the scent of smoke reached him, and Rogue looked up in alarm. Several thick plumes of black smoke were drifting idly through the air above the village, visible even in the poor lighting of the sunset. "Damn!" Rogue swore, and he began running, suspecting it to be the work of bandits. The last time bandits had approached him, his eidolons had made short work of the would-be raiders. The attackers must have been a sizable band indeed to have stirred up such trouble.

Less than a minute later, his own wooden farmhouse came into sight. Rogue's heart sank as he realized the two eidolons he had left standing guard over his home were gone, and his door was wide open. Now that he was closer, he could tell that the smoke was rising from the west side of the village, where the other farms were, and the center of town, where the tavern and smithy were located. Dreading what he would find, he sprinted towards the tavern, hoping he wasn't too late.

He had gone only a few steps before a pair of soldiers in jet black light-plated armor rounded the corner. Upon seeing him, they immediately drew their swords. Rogue didn't recognize the strange, skull-like insignia marking the right pauldrons of their armors. "Who are you!?" Rogue demanded, as he unstrapped his sickle and brandished it towards the invaders.

The two soldiers didn't answer, and barreled forward. Both of them were clearly expert swordsmen, accustomed to fighting alongside each other, and the two immediately moved to flank the farmer, their own weapons readied.

Given the young man's makeshift weapon, they thought him a simple farmer, even if he was healthily in his prime. They were underestimating Rogue, and he knew it. Once his opponents made it clear they weren't interested in talking, Rogue knew these were likely the ones responsible for the foreboding smoke plumes, despite the relatively fine, matching armor. He immediately charged to the left before his opponents could flank him, swiping outwards with the sickle he held in his right hand.

The attack fell short, as the soldier shrank away. But Rogue had never intended the attack to connect; it was a zoning slash only, to put his opponent off-balance. As the second soldier tried to make his way around his companion, Rogue moved in the opposite direction, and the two of them wound up circling the first soldier. Meanwhile, Rogue began spinning the sickle in seemingly reckless arcs. The oddly shaped blade and the weapon's slightly longer reach made it impossible for his opponent to counter adequately.

After a quick reversal, the second soldier managed to loop around and confront their quarry, face-to-face. That's when he realized he was too late. Rogue had already disarmed the first soldier, driving the point of the sickle into the helpless swordsman's throat.

The first soldier collapsed, gurgling, clutching at his bleeding neck, as the second soldier advanced on Rogue, taking the offensive. Like the first, though, he simply could not outmaneuver the bizarre weapon. Like most axes and axe-like weapons, the sickle was only slightly longer than his sword, and carried a wider arc. But the sickle was light and nimble, and the odd shape could easily catch and turn the straight-edged swords. After several exchanges, the second soldier, too, toppled aside, clutching at a gash across his belly.

Rogue cast his sickle aside, and grabbed the dying man by his shoulders, lifting him back to his full height. "Who are you!?" he demanded violently. "What are you doing here?" The soldier could only gurgle helplessly, and a moment later, Rogue gave up and cast the dying man aside, before retrieving his weapon. He turned to make his way towards the tavern once more, only this time, nearly a dozen soldiers came rushing toward him from that direction. Even as Rogue began backing away, he saw another trio of soldiers coming down from the road that led to the mountain path.

"Kill him!" one of the soldiers cried. His armor was trimmed in silver, and he carried a short lance and heavy, silver-trimmed tear-shaped shield. A leader of some sort, Rogue guessed. Even as Rogue eyed the other soldiers warily, a pair of eidolons answered the invader's commands.

_His_ eidolons, Rogue realized with a jolt. Or ones just like his. The two gruesome, shadowy creatures rushed toward him, claws bared. Rogue reacted instantly, reaching out to their minds, and both of them stumbled and turned back.

The soldiers were surprised, but not as much as Rogue had hoped. "Tantalus!" the leader called, in a tone of recognition. "It's him! We have him! Don't let him escape!"

The soldiers fell over the two eidolons, destroying them in short order, and Rogue realized he had no chance of fighting this many foes at once, particularly better equipped as they were.

He considered running, but ruled that option out quickly, as his concern for his friends overrode any fear for his own well-being. Rogue dropped his sickle, the handle coming to a rest upon his foot. "I yield!" he called out. "I don't know why you're here, but if you want me, then take me. Just leave this village alone!"

The leader grimaced. "You fool. The village is already dead!" he barked. "You condemned them when you sought refuge here! Did you truly think Lady Medea would allow them to live?"

Rogue took no note of the unfamiliar name at first. A chill ran through his body, as if his blood had turned to ice, when the soldier's words sank in. "Dead?" Rogue whispered.

The soldier nodded, a grim expression on his face. "Take him," he ordered again, and a pair of soldiers approached.

Rogue shut his eyes tightly, as his heart beat furiously. It had to be a nightmare. Or a lie. The soldier was lying, because the kindhearted villagers who took him in couldn't truly be dead.

But deep down, he knew the truth. He had always suspected that the past obscured by his amnesia was darker than any of his friends could imagine. He had always feared that whatever life he had left behind would one day return to haunt him.

And it was his friends, people who had offered him nothing but undeserved kindness, who had suffered for it.

The sound of approaching footsteps drew him back to the situation at hand, and something snapped. He parsed through the soldier's words again. He still had many questions. Now he had a name, too. He pushed away the shame and grief welling up within, and waited for the perfect moment.

He sprang into motion once more, just as the soldiers closed in. With a snap of his foot, the sickle flew into the air, slamming into one soldier. The attack was ineffectual, but the surprise was all that Rogue needed. His hand snaked out and caught the hilt. With a backhanded swing, the sickle's blade was buried in the chest of the other soldier. Rogue completed the spin, jabbing it forward and crushing through the first soldier's breastplate. With the two nearest soldiers down, Rogue turned and fled back into the forests. For even with Silent Grove gone, razed by the cruel invaders, the wilderness was as much his home as the village was.

As Rogue raced away, he spotted a body lying at the entrance of his home, clad in a familiar flower print dress. Recognition flooded through him, and the guilt nearly overwhelmed him again, but he solemnly and silently swore that, at the very least, his friends would be avenged.

* * *

><p>Not far to the west, Iris finally returned to her human shape, panting for breath, as the shouts of the pursuing soldiers faded. Even if the soldiers were still hunting her, Iris knew they wouldn't be able to track her down in the forest. The soldiers had evidently come to the same realization, and given up their chase.<p>

She was safe, for now. But only then did Iris remember that Rogue normally traveled out of the village along the eastern route. He would be walking straight into a trap upon his return, and given that the soldiers would now be on the lookout for her, even in her transformed state, there was no way Iris could reach him and warn him in time.

She could only hope that her friend would be cautious enough to recognize the danger, and flee back into the forest before it was too late. Though she was too exhausted to transform again, she flew on anyways, in her human form, drifting slowly along the forest path. Rogue would survive, she tried to reassure herself, as she made her way to the north, looping around Silent Grove.


	8. Chapter 4

**~ Chapter 4 ~**

"Well… now what do we do?" Severa asked, clearly annoyed, as she stared at the small, round metal disc lying evenly on the palm of her hand. A small, blunt metal needle had been carefully suspended in it, and it resembled a compass. As her father had promised, it was attracted, not to the north by some mysterious force that Miriel had labeled "magnetism", but to the magic emanating from another lectern. The lectern aboard the _Rainfell_, to be specific.

"I don't know," Lucina said, eyeing it helplessly. For six weeks, they had pursued the _Rainfell_ aboard its sister ship, the _Stormfall_, following the magical compass's guidance. They had hoped to catch Morgan far sooner, but Morgan must have found help to keep the lectern going around the clock. That or the girl hadn't slept in six weeks. Both Lucina and Severa hoped desperately that it was the former.

The enhanced ship and the magical amenities had at least made their voyage far easier. In fact, without them, the trip would have been downright impossible aboard this ship, with only a crew of two. But powering the sail magically made it easy for a single passenger to guide the ship forward, and with a magical distiller, they always had a ready supply of fresh water. There wasn't any need to collect and filter rain water, or stop and hunt for fresh springs on any of the islands they passed. Navigation was also made far simpler thanks to the compass. They took a few coordinates here and there, marking their course so they could return home later, but their path was nearly a straight line to the east.

They had exhausted nearly half of their tomes, though. Lucina and Severa both used the tomes reasonably effectively, but neither of them were nearly as efficient as Morgan was, given the young tactician's familiarity with magic. Of the four month supply of provisions, almost half had been consumed. That had been anticipated; Robin had planned for them to find somewhere to replenish their provisions in Tellius, as bringing enough for the return trip was unfeasible given the potential length of the voyage. All in all, everything had gone more or less according to plan, save for the fact that Morgan had managed to elude them so far.

But now, it seemed like their chase was ended. For some reason, the compass needle was spinning lazily, refusing to point in any direction for more than a few seconds. "Morgan must have made a few adjustments to her course," Severa guessed unhappily.

"If the traces are all around us, it's the only explanation that makes sense," Lucina agreed. She looked to the south, where the coast was visible. For three days, they had been following the northern coast of a large landmass that they could only assume was Tellius itself. "Maybe we should land. I can't imagine Tellius seeing too many visitors from Ylisse. If Owain and Morgan are here and anyone's seen them, word should spread pretty quickly."

Severa frowned. "If we could _find_ a coastal town, we could stop by and ask for directions," she said, a bit of sarcasm creeping into her voice. They had not spotted a single port, or any sign of human habitation, since the landmass had come into sight. It wasn't too surprising, for they had kept to their course north of coast, and their wavering route often left the coast only barely visible. For all they knew, this wasn't Tellius at all, and just a massive, deserted island. Or maybe they had passed a dozen ports already. "Stupid Morgan," Severa huffed quietly, thinking about all the ways this little jaunt had already gone wrong. "Stupid Owain."

Though she wasn't as verbally expressive, Lucina definitely shared best friend's sentiments. Being adventurous was one thing. Traveling so far without a word to your friends and family, and without properly planning _anything_ was a different story altogether. "Sometimes, I wonder what was going through Owain's brain," Lucina agreed.

"He has a brain?" Severa asked, in a snarky tone, and two girls shared a laugh. All in all, the voyage wasn't as stressful as it could've been. Sumia had insisted that Lucina bring a collection of novels to read, and the princess was more than willing to share them with her friend. Though Severa looked at the novels disdainfully at first, after a week, she could resist no longer. The hot spring powder Severa had brought made for some comforting baths, too, and Severa had long since made a mental note to buy a wheelbarrow full when they returned to Ylisstol. And as they were bringing supplies only for two, even a four-month store of provisions left room for various other goods, and with a magically powered oven, their selection of food was far better than what was normally available at sea, with a fair helping of fresh bread flavored with honey, chocolate, or dried fruits.

But as comfortable as they were, the seemingly endless blue seas and the long stretch of empty land was tediously boring to look at.

"Wait a moment!" Lucina said suddenly, as she spotted a wooden shack resting on a small sandy beach. "Sev, look over there! There's a cottage of some sort on that beach!"

"It looks more like an outhouse," Severa said sourly, though she, too, was intrigued.

"Still, that means someone might be living nearby," Lucina pointed out. "Why don't we try landing there?"

"I guess. It's not like we have anything better go on," Severa admitted, shooting the compass another look of disgust. As Lucina approached the wooden wheel located at the ship's bow to steer _Stormfall_ towards the beach, Severa collected the tome from the lectern, drawing away the excess magic that the device had gathered and dispersing it. They would be in for a rough landing if the ship was traveling at its maximum speed.

Noting that she still had a few minutes, Severa retreated into the cabin to collect her belongings. Not long after, the sound of the ship's hull grinding to a halt upon the sand announced their landing, and Lucina joined her in the cabin.

"The beach is still clear," Lucina said as she entered.

"Let's hope there really is a village, then," Severa said absently, as she went through one of the trunks that her father had insisted on sending with them. "I've got the camping sets packed already, Lucy. I didn't know which clothes you wanted to bring, though."

"I'm not picky," Lucina said, shrugging, as she halfheartedly shoved three sets of the same navy blue traveling clothes she was accustomed to wearing into her bag. "What do you have there? It looks like a mirror."

"A mirror would be more helpful," Severa said, rolling her eyes, as she wrapped the fragile disc she was holding back into its protective paper wad. "It's one of the things Dad said to keep this with us at all times. It looks just like a mirror but it's too dusty and cloudy to see myself in."

"Is it useful for anything else?" Lucina asked curiously.

"Dad's notes indicate the Grimleal supposedly used it to communicate with one another across long distances… maybe. It was this, or the strange stone fork they found beside it. The manual they salvaged apparently wasn't specific. He hopes it's the mirror, but since he couldn't figure out how to make it work, who knows?" Severa said, rolling her eyes again. She pulled forth another, elongated object packaged in paper.

"I thought you were kidding about the fork," Lucina said with a grimace. Severa only laughed, and the two girls quickly finished packing.

"I don't know if I'm comfortable leaving all our tomes and spare armor here," Severa admitted. "And most of our supplies, too."

"We don't have much of a choice," Lucina reminded.

They had brought some gold to pay for new supplies, and for someone to watch over their ship if landing became necessary, but without a port or any other people in sight, money was pretty useless so far. Just to be safe, they split the pile of gold into two smaller sacks and brought it along, before they disembarked from the _Stormfall_.

* * *

><p>The little wooden shack turned out to be a changing room of sorts, judging from the clothing hooks and lack of furnishings. There was little dust, indicating that the room had likely been used only recently, which was a promising sign. Summer had just begun, and despite the current overcast weather, the climate was comfortably warm. Together, Severa and Lucina made their way down the beaten dirt path, following it around the large hill and cliff that hugged the east end of the beach.<p>

After about half a mile, they came to a small clearing. They had come in along the western path. An old, partially rotted wooden signpost marked all four paths. It seemed the beach they had come from didn't have a name, for the sign pointing to the west said only "Beach". To the north lied the "Mountain Road". To the east, Silent Grove and Wilderness's Edge, and to the south, Dherbray.

More pertinent to their needs, a small tent had been pitched at the side of the clearing, and a young woman who looked to be about the same age they were was sitting beside it, stirring at the contents of a pot resting over a cooking fire. She looked up as they approached, and seemed surprised by their presence. "Good day," she greeted kindly.

Severa looked at the woman inquisitively, noting the traveling robe she wore, and the hairband pinning her dark hair into a simple ponytail. Pleasant looking enough, but efficient and easy to maintain. Along with the large pack laying near the tent, the woman's appearance screamed "traveling merchant".

"Hi," Severa said, returning the greeting. "My friend and I are new around here, and I think we may be a little bit lost. Do you think you could point us to the nearest village?"

The stranger looked at them oddly. "You must be pretty far lost to end up all the way out here," she remarked lightly. "Silent Grove is just a mile down that road," she added, pointing to the eastern road. "From there, it's another five miles to Wilderness's Edge. It's a little trading camp on the eastern border of the forest. But they're both pretty sparsely populated, and it's a good thirty miles south from either here or the camp to reach the next village."

"We've come a long way," Lucina admitted. "My name's Lucina, by the way, and this is Severa."

"Nice to meet you," the dark-haired woman said, climbing to her feet and extending a hand. "I'm Harmony."

Lucina accepted the proffered handshake, and Harmony turned to Severa next. "If you don't mind me asking, what are _you_ doing up here?" Severa asked curiously, as she, too, shook Harmony's hand. "You look like a merchant, but if there aren't many people here, wouldn't you find better business elsewhere?"

Harmony shrugged. "I'm not really here for business. I stopped by once, out of curiosity, and made a few friends here. Ever since then, I've been coming back just to see them. I'm headed down to Silent Grove myself, after lunch. Would you like to join me? It's just a simple stew, I'm afraid, but I made some extra."

"Thank you, but we just ate," Severa politely declined, for she and Lucina had had a hurried breakfast just before setting out.

"But we might see you again in the village, if you're headed that way too," Lucina added, and Harmony nodded, smiling. "Oh! One more question," Lucina began, a little hesitantly. "Are we in Tellius?"

Harmony laughed. "Of course. You must be _really_ lost if you were worried about ending up in another world," the merchant said.

"Well, that's a relief," Lucina said, smiling. "Thank you, Harmony."

"You're welcome. See you two around," Harmony replied with a friendly wave, as she seated herself beside the pot and continued stirring at her bubbling stew.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, Severa and Lucina emerged from the forest into the western side of the village. They had been chatting about one of the books they had brought, one of the many renditions of the Radiant Hero's adventures in Tellius, but when the village came into view, their conversation dried up immediately.<p>

"Gods… what happened here?" Lucina gasped, upon seeing the withered and burnt husks in the farm field, and the farmhouse, blackened by flames. On the other side of the street, a second farmhouse and its field were in similar straits.

"Bandits?" Severa guessed, in a hushed tone, as she reached for her lance. She flinched as she saw a flock of crows gathered around a third farmhouse and a similarly burnt barn house. "The grazing fields are empty… the rancher must have brought the animals inside for the night." She didn't dare go any closer. She could guess easily enough what was lying inside the scorched building given the presence of the carrion birds, and if she was wrong, it would only be worse than she imagined.

"Maybe the farmers and ranchers fled in time," Lucina said, in a wishful tone. Both of them had seen the work of brigands many times before, but that didn't make bearing witness to the scenes of devastation any more tolerable.

They made their way warily down the road, crossing a small bridge, where another farmhouse came into sight. Unlike the first three, this home had been spared the torch for now. Four bodies clad in jet-black light-plated armor were strewn at a fork in the road. Upon seeing them, both Lucina and Severa glanced around warily.

"This isn't right," Severa muttered quietly, as she inspected one of the bodies. "These four have to be soldiers, with armor like this. Bandits wouldn't just leave the weapons and armor, though."

"The soldiers may have chased them off before the bandits could loot the bodies," Lucina pointed out.

"Then the bodies wouldn't have been left out here so long. The bodies are cool – they've been lying here all night, at least," Severa reasoned, as she washed her hand in the watering hole nearby. "Unless the rest of their companions are coming back."

"A village this small shouldn't have many soldiers," Lucina said, looking at the bodies thoughtfully. "Maybe these soldiers were just passing by, and were killed by the bandits. And the bandits haven't come back to loot them, yet."

Severa's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she looked to the north, where a few puffs of smoke still drifted lazily from a blackened building. "If that's the case, the bandits are probably sleeping in."

"Then perhaps we should be on our way," Lucina suggested, though she spotted the gleam in Severa's eyes, and knew they would do no such thing. Though the two sparred at least three times a week during their voyage, they were still feeling rather cooped up. Truthfully, Lucina didn't mind very much – she wasn't fond of bandits, herself.

"Come on, Lucy. They're only bandits," Severa said predictably, with an impish smile. Lucina returned the confident expression, and together, they slipped towards the inn, their weapons readied.

* * *

><p>The anticipation of a battle faded away, to be replaced by horror, when they reached the largest of the buildings. There were no more dead soldiers here. Instead, it appeared as if the entire village had been gathered in the tavern.<p>

Corpses lay strewn on the cobblestone paved roads in front of the tavern, and all across the wooden floor. Many of the bodies had been burned beyond recognition, when the building had been set aflame. But at a glance, both of them could tell immediately that no one had been spared.

"Gods…" Severa said, as she tore her glance away from a smaller body. She wasn't sure if it was a boy or girl, but the shriveled and blackened corpse was clearly of a child. "What the hell happened here?"

Lucina, too, could only avert her gaze. The gruesome scene had silenced her, and she gestured south, towards the intact farmhouse. Severa caught her meaning well enough, and the two went on their way.

"The trading camp?" Severa asked, when they reached the fork in the road beside the farmhouse, remembering that Harmony had mentioned one other settlement nearby.

"I… I guess," Lucina said, though the ghastly remains of the village had left her rather disconcerted. "Or maybe we should return and warn that merchant."

Severa shook her head. "If this was the work of bandits, and they're nowhere in sight, they could be headed towards the other settlement, too. The sooner we get there, the better."

"True," Lucina agreed, and the two of them made their way down the road, past the farmhouse.

Out of the corner of their eyes, they saw that the house's door was wide open, and another corpse lay within, in a pool of blood. A quick look was all it took to ascertain the woman's state, for the hole burned through her chest was prominently visible. Severa's lips tightened as she realized that the brown-haired girl looked no older than Morgan was. Lucina, again, looked away, and this time, she whispered a prayer for the dead woman, presumably the farmer. There was nothing more to be said, though, and the two of them continued down the road, heading to the east, hoping that the grisly discoveries were an anomaly, and not a precursor to the journey ahead.

* * *

><p>"Well, this makes things a little more complicated," Severa said dryly, a hint of her normal self returning now that they were away from Silent Grove. They had followed the path nearly a mile before coming to the side of a river. The river was rather large, and nearly thirty feet across. The bridge crossing it had been thoroughly destroyed, and bits of burnt wood and piles of ash were scattered across the dirt slopes along both sides of the flowing water.<p>

"Just a little. I don't suppose you want to swim across?" Lucina asked, trying to follow suit and push the grim thoughts out of her mind.

"Not particularly," Severa said, grimacing. The question had been rhetorical, anyways. Burdened by their weapons, armor, and traveling bags, swimming across a fast-flowing river was out of the question. "I guess we'll just have to search for another way across."

"There was another trail leading north into the forest," Lucina reminded. "Less than a quarter of a mile back. If Harmony was right about these two being the only settlements in this area, there must be an alternate path of some sort."

"Let's try it," Severa agreed, and the two of them turned back, searching for the forest path. The worst case scenario was that there was no other way to cross the river, in which case, they could follow the coast west to the cliffs, and make their way around once more to the _Stormfall_. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, Severa thought grimly.

* * *

><p>They found the path soon enough, and though it faded as they followed it north, there was a clear opening between the trees for them to follow. After following the winding path for some time, Severa began feeling a bit uneasy. "It's too quiet," she hissed, as she realized that the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves had stopped, and the only sounds to be heard were her own footprints.<p>

Lucina had already placed her hand on Falchion's grip, and at Severa's words, began looking around cautiously. But the two of them didn't stop, and continued to hike along the road, until a sudden rustle confirmed their uneasiness.

With a visceral snarl, a creature unlike anything either woman had seen before crushed its way through a bush, barreling towards Severa, its claws outstretched. Severa had Passion drawn in an instant, and her thrust met the creature's charge directly. It was moving too quickly to change course, and it impaled itself a moment later on Severa's lance.

As it writhed and crumbled away in a flash of golden fire, Severa and Lucina managed a closer look, and came away with the impression of a deformed human with unnaturally long arms and stubby legs, and a curved, hunched back. But what was most alarming to them was the monster's eyes – glowing orbs of golden flame, swirling in the shrunken sockets of a black, humanoid skull-like head. The same color as the strange smoke that streamed away from its slowly dissolving form.

"Its eyes are just like that sea monster. Morgan was right, after all," Severa whispered. But before Lucina could respond, another loud rustle rang out, as four more of the creatures burst into the clearing.

Considering how easily Severa had dealt with the first one, neither of them were particularly alarmed. The creatures were surprisingly fast, but by the time they were able to close in, Lucina had Falchion drawn and held defensively. She leapt back, turning aside the first creature's claws smoothly as she moved to the left, then rushed forward, sweeping her blade outward and cutting through the creature's dark, shadowy flesh. Even as her blade struck home, she retracted it and withdrew, readying herself to face the second foe.

Beside her, Severa engaged the last two simultaneously. With Passion's long reach, neither of them could come anywhere close to the skilled warrior, and with only a few simple sweeps, she repelled them, gouging deep wounds into both of the monstrosities. A quick lunge finished the first, and a clean reversal dispatched the second, just as Lucina decapitated their final foe.

"What _are_ these things?" Lucina asked, not expecting an answer, for she knew just as much about them as Severa did. Which was unfortunately, not a whole lot.

"When we find Owain, you can ask him, right before I skewer him," Severa huffed angrily. "And he'd better have an answer for us after searching for a whole year."

"Sev, if Owain was looking for these, then maybe we should try to learn more about them ourselves. That could help us find him and anyone else looking for him," Lucina reasoned.

Severa knew Lucina was right, but it did little to dispel her annoyance. "Whatever," she muttered, as the two pressed on, both remaining alert in case any more of the monsters were nearby. Bizarre and gruesome as their journey was, so far, at least they had found a lead.

* * *

><p>Rogue frowned as he reached the Dagger Cliffs. The rocky, mountainous road didn't bother him in itself, but it bordered the Revenant Copse, an allegedly haunted region of the Snowflake Forest. He wasn't particularly superstitious, and had ventured to this region a few times before. The trees here were far more ancient, and the Revenant Copse was perpetually shrouded in near complete darkness by the thick canopies. After a few bizarre encounters in the area, Rogue had decided against actually entering the gloomy shade, or even going too near it.<p>

Still, he didn't have much choice. The thicket was impassable to the west, stretching all the way to the river that ran through Silent Grove, so the only way north was over the cliffs. He could have gone directly east to the bridge to Wilderness's Edge, but the mysterious soldiers would inevitably have the bridge watched. The only other route to the trading settlement was to the north, looping around the Revenant Copse, which either led him north over these cliffs, or back through Silent Grove to the western mountain road.

Rogue looked to the southwest, towards his home for the past two years, and pondered turning back. But he dismissed the thought immediately when he thought of Lily, lying dead at his front door. A part of him desperately wanted to return, to destroy the cruel, sadistic creatures masquerading as human soldiers, and to see if any of his friends might have escaped. But he knew they were gone, and the thought of seeing their cooling forms and their final expressions of pain and horror was too much.

As Rogue turned back to the mountainous road, his gaze rested for a moment on a doorway, built into the side of the mountain, carefully crafted from heavy stone slabs. When he had arrived in Silent Grove, the small temple had been sealed. For a moment, he reminisced silently about his little adventure into the temple, and the new friend he had made that day. But when his thoughts turned to a dear friend who had also found herself a home in Silent Grove, the bitterness and grief welled up once more, and he struggled not to picture her corpse, lying in the tavern beside her adoptive parents.

Desperate to do something, _anything_, to push the thoughts away, Rogue began hiking up the slope, trying to focus on the road ahead. But a moment later, a loud, flapping noise drove his doubts away just as easily. Rogue spun and looked up, just as an eidolon descended toward him. A jet of greenish goo burst forth from the creature's gaping maw, and Rogue jumped aside.

The strange, viscous liquid hit the ground, and began sizzling as the caustic material ate its way through the rocky ground. Rogue looked at the eidolon strangely – it was unlike any he had ever seen before, but he knew what it was, thanks to the telltale golden eyes. The creature vaguely resembled a snake, though it had two wing-like appendages extending from just behind its head. Large flaps of dark, partially translucent, shadowy skin stretched from the tips of each appendage, to nearly two-thirds of the way down the snake's body.

The creature hissed again, and spat forth another glob of neon green acid. Rogue rolled aside again, and the acid splattered harmlessly onto the ground where he had stood moments ago. He noted, with some relief, that the first pool was no longer glowing, nor sizzling. He reached out to the eidolon mentally, hoping to simply commandeer the beast and send it away.

Instead, he found that he could not reach the eidolon after all. Surprised, Rogue only barely managed to avoid the flying snake's next attack, a charge and vicious bite. The warrior scrambled away, unhooking the sickle from his belt, knowing there was no way to outrun a flying foe as swift as this one.

Rogue began to run, circling the flying serpent and keeping an eye out for the jets of acid it spat in his direction. After two more such attacks, Rogue saw the opening he was searching for, when the eidolon tried to lead him with its next projectile. The warrior turned to face it squarely and rolled forward, falling too low for the burst of acid to connect. When he came out of the roll, he swung the sickle upwards. The serpent immediately retreated upwards, but was too late, and the sickle bit into its left wing.

The eidolon wasn't finished, though. Even with a wounded wing, it could still flutter weakly, and as it flew away, retreating to a safe distance from the deadly sickle, it sprayed another jet of acid in Rogue's direction.

Rogue pulled back immediately, but the sound of hurried footsteps from behind alerted him to another presence. With a grimace, he rolled away and turned, expecting to see one of the soldiers.

Instead, it was a young woman he had never seen before, clad in leather armor and carrying a long lance, her platinum-blond hair streaming behind her in two long pigtails as she vaulted through the air and brought the tip of her lance smashing downward, slicing through the eidolon neatly even while it hovered eight feet up in the air.

A second woman followed the first into the clearing. She looked to be about the same age, and wore a simple blue, cloth tunic that complemented her raven-blue hair. She had an ornate, golden sword drawn, but sheathed it as she saw the eidolon collapse. "Are you alright?" she asked, turning to Rogue.

"I'm fine," Rogue said, eyeing the two appraisingly. "You aren't with those soldiers, are you?"

The platinum-blond girl shook her head impatiently. "Of course not. Do we _look_ like we're sporting that boring black plate armor?"

"Ignore Sev, she's just a little bit grouchy, since we keep getting attacked by those… things," her blue-haired friend interrupted. "I'm Lucina, and this is Severa."

Rogue nodded. "Thank you," he said abruptly, and he latched his sickle to his belt before starting for the cliffs once more.

"That's it?" Severa asked, frowning. "You're not even going to tell us your name?"

Rogue sighed. "I may as well not have one anymore," he replied glumly.

Lucina winced, already guessing what was on his mind, but Severa only rolled her eyes. "Well, _someone's_ in a good mood today," Severa said, sounding annoyed. "How about you quit being all melodramatic, and just tell us the name you were born with like a normal person would?"

"I lost my memory two years ago. I don't remember my birth name," Rogue said, looking at her disdainfully.

"Oh gods. Another amnesiac. Because my life wasn't full enough of them already," Severa grouched, but Lucina cut her off, placing her hand on Severa's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Lucina said, in a sympathetic tone. "Did you come from the village? Silent Grove? We're a little bit lost. We saw what the bandits did when we stopped by to ask for directions."

"It wasn't bandits," Rogue said bitterly, and reluctantly, he leaned against a nearby tree. "It was those soldiers. I don't know who they are, but for some reason, they were after me. But I wasn't in the village when they arrived."

"So they destroyed the entire village searching for you?" Severa asked, frowning, as she allowed her harsh demeanor to slip away. "That's… inhuman. You don't know where they are from?"

"No. But I'll find out, soon enough," Rogue said, a dangerous look coming to his eyes. He hesitated for a moment. "You said you stopped by for directions. Where were you two headed?"

"Some place called Wilderness's Edge," Lucina said. "The bridge leading to the east was destroyed, though, and we thought there would be another path across the river to the north."

"There is. I'm headed that way now," Rogue confirmed. "You two are welcome to follow me, if you'd like."

"Okay, but if we're traveling together, we'll have to have some name to call you. Unless you want me to pick out a nickname for you," Severa offered slyly.

Rogue shook his head. "No thanks. Just call me Rogue."


	9. Chapter 5

**~ Chapter 5 ~**

The unlikely trio marched on in silence for some time. Lucina and Severa were bursting with questions, but Rogue was clearly not in a mood to talk, and neither woman could rightfully blame him. Though Severa had been intentionally blunt and harsh before, as that was her normal way of speaking, she could see the flash of pain in his eyes when they had spoken of Silent Grove. She had seen and felt enough grief before to know precisely what their companion was going through, and knew better than to be too rough on their new companion.

After a couple hours, they reached a small plateau, high up in the cliffs. A steep cliff, nearly thirty feet in height, looked out over the thick canopies of the Revenant Copse, with only a thin gap between the dense leaves and the cliff itself. "This is a good spot to take a break," Rogue suggested, as he pulled forth a pack of dried berries and nuts.

"We've got some jerky and bread, if you'd like," Lucina offered. Rogue shrugged indifferently, but accepted the offer nonetheless.

"I wish there was wood for a fire," Severa grumbled, as she, too, pulled forth a portion of dried meat and bread from her traveling bag.

"We'll be back in the forest soon enough," Rogue said, as he chewed absently on the crusty bread. It wasn't anything like the soft, warm fresh-baked loaves Marjorie baked daily in the tavern, but he didn't complain. It was more filling than the wild berries he had scrounged together the previous night, at least.

As they ate quietly, Severa watched Rogue uneasily, wondering how best to ask the questions that she and Lucina desperately needed answers to. But she still remembered how she felt after her father's death, and knew anything she asked would inevitably remind Rogue of those he had lost. In fact, he was almost certainly thinking about it already. Realizing that, Severa decided there was no reason to hold her questions back any longer.

"So… Rogue, huh?" Severa asked conversationally. "It's more of a title than a name, though. Did you make that up on the spot?"

Rogue winced and shook his head. "No. It's the name that my friend, Lily, chose for me back when I arrived in Silent Grove. She was the one who found me here, two years ago. When she found out I didn't know my name, she decided to choose one for me herself. She said it sounded 'mysterious' and 'cool', and I couldn't find the words or the will to argue with her," he explained dully, making a simple gesture to indicate quotation marks as he repeated Lily's reasoning.

"So it just stuck?" Lucina asked.

Rogue nodded. "I didn't have anywhere else to go. Lily's grandfather owned a farm, once, but he passed away, months before they found me. So I settled down in the old farmhouse. But some part of me has always wondered where I really came from. I spent many long afternoons and evenings exploring the forest. I even visited Wilderness's Edge a few times, hoping the merchants there might be able to tell me more."

"Why didn't you try going farther? To a large city, maybe. I imagine it would be easier to find your answers if you visited some place with a lot more people," Severa said.

"Maybe," Rogue admitted. "I'm not sure why I never really went any further. I guess I was afraid. I was happy with my life in Silent Grove, and deep down, I was afraid that finding my answers could have changed things for the worse." His expression darkened. "And now, because of that, Silent Grove is gone. The people there never did anything to deserve this."

"You can't blame yourself for the actions of others," Lucina said gently. "It's not your fault, Rogue. One of my friends was a lot like you. He, too, lost his memories, and had a dark past that caught up with him. But it's what you _do_ remember, and what you decide to do with your memories, that really matters. Your memories might play a part in defining who you are, but you can always leave the past behind and rebuild yourself into someone you want to be."

Rogue didn't look convinced, but he said nothing. Severa soon grew tired of the awkward silence once more. "Rogue, what are those monsters we've been seeing? The ones with the glowing golden eyes? Lucy and I bumped into a bunch of humanoid ones before we ran into you, too."

"You've never heard of eidolons?" Rogue asked, looking at her strangely. "They've been everywhere these past couple decades, supposedly."

"We aren't from around here," Lucina explained.

Rogue's expression grew only more skeptical. "According to the merchants in Wilderness's Edge, the eidolons have been all over the world lately."

"Well, what are they?" Severa asked impatiently. She didn't particularly want to go into details about her and Lucina's origins just yet.

"I don't know too much about them, myself," Rogue admitted. "But they're spirits of some sort. According to the books I've read, they come from another plane… like an alternate world. Eidolons used to be incredibly rare. Most of the time, it's extremely hard for spirits to cross into our world, and when they do, they're supposed to be bound to people." Rogue held up his hand, displaying a strange brand just below his wrist. The mark was a strange silver hue, clearly visible, and in the shape of a crescent moon. "When spirits and humans willingly bind themselves together, the humans become spirit charmers. We gain some natural inclinations toward magic, and can exercise a little control over eidolons."

"Wait, if you can control eidolons, why did we have to destroy that flying snake?" Severa asked. "Couldn't you have just sent it away?"

"I tried. But I couldn't reach it, for some reason," Rogue said. "I think someone else must have gotten to it first. I might have been able to undo the other spirit charmer's hold on it, but it would've taken time. Time I didn't have, with it trying to kill me. And besides, I can only control so many of them at the same time. For a while, I was binding the ones that happened upon our village and using them to keep wild animals and bandits away. But as I began to control more and more of them, my hold on them became weaker, too. I ended up having to destroy most of them, and using the ones I kept under my control to protect the village from other eidolons that wandered by.

"So if these spirits are supposed to be bound to people, then why are there eidolons everywhere?" Lucina asked.

"No one's certain. At least, no one that I've met," Rogue said, shrugging. "They just started showing up one day. If they're not being controlled, they just wander around, killing anyone they see and destroying things randomly."

"What's it like controlling one of them?" Severa asked curiously.

Rogue shrugged again, and seemed to struggle to find the right words to describe the strange sensation. "You tell them what to do, and they do it. It doesn't feel any different. I can't actually control their bodies or anything. They're like… extremely obedient pets."

Lucina cringed, having a hard time imagining the horrid creatures as pets. In some ways, the eidolons reminded her of the risen: undead, mindless monsters that were summoned and used by the fell dragon, Grima. Slightly less horrific, but every bit as much of a threat.

"How big do the eidolons get?" Severa asked uneasily, remembering the sea monster that had attacked Ferox, and wondering if it, too, was one of the eidolons.

"Eidolons usually only come in one of two shapes. There's the crawlers, who are hunched over with really long arms, and the fliers, who look like they have black moth wings," Rogue explained, and Severa and Lucina immediately recognized the ones they had battled earlier from the first description. Seemingly to himself, Rogue continued, "Strangely enough, the books only ever mention those two types, as well as the dire eidolons, which are still supposed to be extremely rare. But lately, there have been all sorts of eidolon-like monsters in this region."

Severa and Lucina exchanged glances, as the same suspicion flitted through their thoughts. Unfortunately, interesting as the information was, it wasn't all that helpful. But it did mean that, if what Rogue said was true, and these eidolons were common in Tellius, Owain would undoubtedly have discovered them not long after arriving here. Still, it seemed there was little more Rogue could tell them about the eidolons.

"We should be on our way," Rogue said suddenly, mirroring their thoughts precisely. "For some reason, eidolons have begun cropping up around the Revenant Copse," he added, gesturing towards the dark woodlands beyond the cliff. "No one's exactly sure why. Besides, most people prefer not to stay near the Revenant Copse for long."

Lucina nodded. "You're right. Let's get going." She got to her feet, and Severa and Rogue did likewise. But before she could begin making her way across the plateau through the road, she heard Severa shout out, and something slammed into her shoulder and sent her tumbling to the floor.

Another eidolon had managed to slip into the clearing. It was even larger than the flying serpent from before, but bore a similar, snake-like appearance. Its skull-like face looked out of place at the front of the long, serpentine head, and a frill of some dark, metallic material ringed its neck just behind its snarling visage. The creature looked to be about fifteen feet long, but its body winded upwards, drawing its head up just high enough to gaze down upon Severa, who had shoved Lucina out of the way of its first attack. Two bony arms protruded from its sides, about four feet off the ground, and ended in hooked talons. Both had slashed downward, and Severa had only barely managed to fend it off. The creature pressed forward, roaring.

Severa released her grip abruptly, and the eidolon plunged downwards, its exertion finding no more resistance. Severa's right foot snaked out and kicked at the front of her lance, spinning the weapon out of the monster's grip. Her timing was nearly perfect – a second sooner, and the monster would have impaled itself upon Passion, but instead, the shaft slid outward at an angle, and the lance was thrown aside as the eidolon's head dipped down.

"Now would be a great time for that eidolon controlling thing you mentioned," Severa suggested, as she scrambled for her weapon.

Obediently, Rogue focused on the eidolon, trying to call to the spirits comprising it. He wasn't surprised when he found it to be the same way as the flying serpent from before, with another presence already tainting it. "Not happening," he said, gritting his teeth.

"Well, what use are you, then!?" Severa griped. In answer, Rogue drew his sickle.

Unlike the flying serpent, this creature had no nasty tricks with acidic saliva. It didn't need any, and was satisfied slithering around them, slashing at them with its brutal claws. Though all three of its opponents were skilled fighters, the eidolon's strength and speed alone was nearly enough to overpower them. Rogue found himself retreating continuously, as Lucina and Severa dodged and weaved around it, narrowly avoiding each swing and hoping to find an opening. With such a long body, much of it was vulnerable, but the serpent did not hesitate to use the rest of its body as a weapon, too, and often thrashed towards them, threatening to bury them beneath a mass of shadowy muscle and scales.

To make matters worse, though Falchion and Passion were both far from run-of-a-mill weapons, their deadly edges couldn't quite penetrate the monster's flesh. After several close calls, all that the two women had managed to achieve was a few barely visible dents, which seemed only to anger the monster. Meanwhile, Rogue had slipped behind the monster, and leapt powerfully, bringing his sickle swinging downward with both hands. As the point found the monster's neck, it let out a pained howl, and for a moment, it appeared as if the eidolon had been defeated.

But the sickle only cut an inch into the eidolon's thick hide before coming to a stop. The monster's writhing and thrashing continued, as Rogue tried to extract his weapon for another strike. With a violent spin, the sickle was dislodged, and it and its wielder were sent spinning through the air. "Rogue!" Severa cried, but she could only watch as he tumbled past her and over the edge of the cliff with a scream. She began to run towards the cliff herself, to see if perhaps he had managed to grab onto the edge, but the eidolon descended upon her a moment later.

Its extended claw burrowed through Severa's leather bracer, slicing through her wrist. Even as Severa cried out in pain, she instinctively tried to move away, which only made the cut worse. But in the same motion, she had thrust her lance forward, just below the eidolon's skull. Its natural armor there was less resilient, and Passion bit through. The eidolon recoiled in pain, Passion still hanging from the gaping wound in its throat.

Lucina cried out, drawing the eidolon's attention away from her wounded friend. The eidolon turned in time to see her sprinting toward it. As the princess closed in, she leapt up, spinning powerfully. The blade struck home, just above Passion, and the eidolon's severed head sailed through the air, spinning gracefully until it slammed into the ground with a loud thud. As soon as the head had been severed from its body, the shadowy, serpentine remains collapsed with a few spasms, and both it and its head began crumbling, dissolving into golden vapors that streamed away from the eidolon's form before dissipating. As with the other eidolons, soon, only a few ashes remained.

"Rogue, are you alright?" Severa called, ignoring the throbbing pain in her wrist, as she rushed to the edge of the cliff. She spotted him immediately, curled up at the bottom of the cliff.

"Well… I'm alive. That should count for something," Rogue groaned weakly, and Severa quickly retrieved her pack, searching through it for something to help their companion back up. She groaned in dismay when she remembered that any rope they had, they had left aboard the _Stormfall_.

"Maybe we could tie our bedrolls together into a makeshift rope," Lucina suggested.

"Maybe," Severa agreed. She retrieved Passion from where the eidolon had fallen, and quickly appraised the height of the cliff. "No good," she said a moment later, shaking her head. "Even if we tie them to the end of my lance, it won't reach far enough for Rogue to grab it. Not even close."

"Don't worry about me," Rogue called to them, as he finally staggered to his feet. "I'll just make my way through these woods. If I can't find a way across the river here, at least I can follow it north. There's a pond just south of the bridge, I can always let the river carry me there."

"Are you sure you can walk?" Lucina asked, concerned. "That was a pretty long fall."

In answer, Rogue flexed his arms and legs. It hurt, but miraculously, nothing seemed broken. "I managed to scrape my sickle against the cliff as I fell," he said. "It slowed my fall a bit. Besides, the grass is thick, and the soil pretty loose. It made for a pretty soft landing, all things considered."

"Alright, then. Let's go," Severa said, as she collected her belongings and prepared to pass them down to Rogue.

"No, wait! Don't!" Rogue said hastily, forestalling her jump. "Severa, I don't know much about these woods. But if the stories are to be believed, it might not be safe."

"Haven't you heard of 'safety in numbers'?" Severa retorted.

Rogue grimaced. "These woods are supposed to be haunted."

Severa rolled her eyes. "Oh. Ghost stories. Fantastic."

"We're not worried about ghosts," Lucina assured.

"Me neither," Rogue admitted. "But I've never set foot here before, since strange stuff always seemed to happen around here. Eidolons seem to like this area, too. Looks like I don't have a choice, now, but there's no sense in you two taking any risks. Follow the forest path north. It curves west, to the other river, for some time. Eventually you'll pass another bridge. Don't cross the first bridge – it goes towards the west, back towards to the mountain road near Silent Grove. Keep following the path as it turns to the east – it's the other route that leads to Wilderness's Edge. The one everyone used to use before the southern bridge was built."

"Are you sure you'll be alright alone?" Severa asked.

"Positive," Rogue said absently, as he eyed the woods. "But… just in case. I guess you two probably have your own business to tend to, but if something goes wrong, and we don't meet again… the soldiers mentioned someone named Medea. She's the one responsible for what happened in Silent Grove."

"You want us to find her?" Lucina guessed.

Rogue nodded. "I know it's a lot to ask. But this Medea has a lot to answer for."

"We'll do what we can," Severa agreed, and Lucina glanced at her, surprised. "But we won't have to do anything," Severa added. "Wilderness's Edge lies to the south, right? That means you'll probably be waiting for us when we arrive."

Rogue looked up, startled by the encouraging words. "I guess you're right. I'll see you two later, then," he finally said, as Severa tossed Rogue's traveling pack down to him. He caught the pack and headed off into the woods, with one final wave to the friends he had known for only a few hours.

* * *

><p>Severa and Lucina watched him disappear into the shadows, before retrieving their own belongings. After tending to Severa's wound, which was thankfully minor, they began moving on. "You seemed to warm up to him pretty quickly," Lucina commented, wearing a sly smile, as they continued hiking along the mountain path.<p>

"What makes you say that?" Severa asked, frowning.

Lucina eyed her curiously, as she had expected a more defensive reaction to her teasing. "We still don't have a clue where Morgan and Owain are," she reminded. "And you just agreed to help him track down this Medea character, too."

"Lucy, Rogue's right. There's something up with him, even if he can't remember it," Severa pointed out. "He even admitted spirit charmers like him aren't common. And whoever this Medea person is, she must have been searching for him because of it. I bet it has something to do with the eidolons."

Lucina understood immediately. "You're saying that Medea might also be our best lead on Owain."

"The giant sea monster that attacked Ferox looked a lot like the eidolons, remember?" Severa reminded. "The same dark, shadowy flesh and scales, and golden, glowing eyes. If Owain was looking for information about it, he would definitely be trying to learn more about the eidolons, and according to Rogue, eidolons and spirit charmers are connected."

"You're right, Sev," Lucina agreed, satisfied. "And besides, Rogue's right about the soldiers having a lot to answer for."

"Definitely," Severa agreed, as they reached the base of the cliff and found themselves treading upon grassy soil once more. The path Rogue had spoken of looked rather disused, but was still fairly distinctive.

They followed the path until it came to the riverside. Following Rogue's instructions, they then followed the river north for a few miles. Just as the sun was beginning to set, the bridge Rogue had mentioned came into view. There was a nice, large clearing nearby, surrounded by berry bushes and trees laden with ripe, red apples. "We might as well spend the night here," Lucina suggested. Severa agreed readily and the two began preparing a simple campsite.

* * *

><p>"What are you making?" Lucina asked curiously, as Severa returned from the stream bearing a pot full of fresh apples and berries, rinsed clean in the cool, clear water.<p>

"Dinner," Severa said brightly, as she sat down on a thick log that made a convenient chair. She drew a small knife and began peeling and coring the apples.

"We still have plenty of dried meat and bread," Lucina pointed out.

Severa made a face. "I think I've had enough dried, salty, and otherwise tasteless food for a while, thanks," she said. Before long, the pot was hanging over the fire, its contents slowly simmering.

Lucina smiled faintly. "Well, it smells good. But you can't just have fruit jam for dinner."

"Who says?" Severa shot back, grinning, as she added a large dollop of honey from the canister she had brought. Lucina offered no more complaints, as Severa scooped out the sweet, aromatic jam into a bowl and passed it to her. She thought to spread it on the bread, initially, but the hard, crusty bread wasn't all that enticing.

"It looks like you made plenty of extra. Maybe Wilderness's Edge will have someone selling fresh bread," Lucina said, as she settled for eating the stewed fruits plain. It really was nice to have some fresh fruit after their long voyage.

When Severa didn't reply, Lucina looked up, only to find her friend staring wistfully at the sky, wearing a serene smile. "What has you in such a good mood all of a sudden?" Lucina asked teasingly.

"Look over there," Severa answered, pointing to the north, and high above the forests. The trees to the north of them were shorter, and afforded them a clear view of the evening sky, streaked with the red and pink rays of the setting sun. Lucina let out a quiet gasp as she saw what Severa must have been referring to. Soft, faint yellow curtains of light were dancing across the sky, faintly visible, wavering mystically and beautifully.

Not knowing how long it would last, and not wanting to disrupt it while it did, Lucina watched in awed silence for some time. After several minutes, though, the beautiful light remained, swirling peacefully above them. "What is it?" Lucina finally asked, in a hushed tone.

"Morgan mentioned something like this, once," Severa said quietly. "She said that in some parts of the world, you can see multicolored light shimmering across the night sky. When we went to visit Ferox, Morgan snuck out of the inn after midnight, night hoping she'd be able to see it. She probably would've caught a cold if Mom didn't find out and drag her back to the inn after a couple hours, but there weren't any mysterious lights to be seen."

"It's beautiful," Lucina admitted softly.

"It is," Severa agreed. "Too bad she's not here to see it, huh?" The somber words did little to dampen their mood, though, as they were both too entranced by the sight. "If Morgan's lucky, we'll see it again on our way home."

"Or maybe she's watching this too, wherever she is," Lucina suggested.

Comforted by that thought, both women sat there, watching peacefully.

* * *

><p>A shrill cry rang out, abruptly shattering the peaceful atmosphere.<p>

Both Severa and Lucina turned towards the noise, coming from across the bridge. Simultaneously, they reached for their weapons as they spotted a young woman with dark hair, about their age, running toward them, pursued by a pack of eidolons. Crawlers, as Rogue had labeled them.

The girl was looking back as she ran, and both Severa and Lucina noted the odd, leathery wings protruding from her back. Her elegant silver blouse had evidently been designed specifically to accommodate them, bearing a wide slit from which the two wings emerged, and was laced together at the top. The girl was not looking at the monsters, but instead looked upward toward the sky desperately, at the setting sun.

"Get behind me!" Lucina called, and the girl faced forward once more, surprised to see the other two women. Lucina and Severa advanced together, and sidled closer together to block off the eidolons as the girl obediently rushed past them. There were eight of the creatures, this time, but their numbers weren't really cause for alarm. Falchion flashed through the air as the first one neared, and just like that, only seven remained.

Not to be outdone, Severa stepped forward and skewered another of the eidolons with a clean thrust, intentionally leaving herself open for a second to run around the first. "Say good night!" she shouted, as she spun her lance powerfully to the side, dragging the dying eidolon with it and smashing it against the second attacker, knocking it aside. The first fiend slipped off the lance and crumpled to the floor, fading away, as Severa quickly finished the second one before retreating.

The crawlers may have been inherently faster and more powerful than most humans, but as in their previous encounters, Severa and Lucina had little trouble dispatching the savage and mindless eidolons. The eidolons' numbers did them little good when they tumbled into one another in an effort to surround their prey. But it did allow one to slip through and charge the mysterious winged woman, just as the last of the sunlight flickered and died.

The vulnerable woman responded instinctively by shifting into a large bat, and soaring up to the nearest tree, out of reach of the eidolons. The transformation elicited a startled cry from Severa, who nearly dropped her lance, but Lucina was there, covering for her friend's surprise, destroying a crawler as it barreled toward the distracted lancer.

Severa turned her attention back to the eidolons, and soon, the last two of them fell back, crumbling away. Severa turned back to the large bat, perched upon the branch. Lucina, who had missed the transformation, seemed surprised at the bat's size. The surprise only intensified when the bat became human again, dropping from the tree gracefully.

"Wait, please! Don't hurt me!" the woman begged, fearfully, as both Severa and Lucina brandished their weapons in her direction, both wearing terrified expressions of their own.

"How did you do that?" Severa demanded harshly. Though she would never admit it, the creepy ghost stories that the Shepherds often shared around the campfire unnerved her, and prominently featured were a certain type of bloodsucking undead humanoid that could transform into a bat.

"I'm a Laguz," the girl explained quickly, and both Severa and Lucina relaxed visibly at that.

"So… you can transform into an animal? Into a bat?" Lucina guessed, as she lowered her weapon.

"The stories never spoke of any bat Laguz," Severa said suspiciously, and unlike Lucina, she kept her weapon held steady.

"We aren't very well-known," the Laguz admitted. "My name's Iris. I live in Silent Grove." As she mentioned the village's name, though, tears came to her eyes, and the other two knew that Iris was already aware of the village's fate.

"We saw what happened to the town," Lucina said kindly. "I'm sorry about your home."

Iris shook her head quickly. "I have to find my friend. He wasn't in the town when the soldiers came."

"Your friend?" Severa asked. "He wouldn't happen to be a young man named Rogue, would it? Tall, has black hair like yours, looks to be about our age?"

"You've seen him!?" Iris asked, her eyes lighting up at the news. "Where is he?"

Lucina cringed. "We got into a fight with an eidolon. It knocked him down into some place he called the Revenant Copse."

"He said he'll meet up with us at Wilderness's Edge," Severa added reassuringly, when Iris looked disheartened.

"Would you like to travel with us?" Lucina invited.

Iris hesitated. "Umm… I'd like to, but I'm not sure that's a good idea," she admitted.

"You don't drink blood, do you?" Severa asked, gripping her lance tightly once more.

"No! Of course not!" Iris said quickly. "But… daylight makes me a bit drowsy. And I can only transform by night."

If anything, that only made Severa more nervous. "What _do_ you eat, then?" Severa asked apprehensively, her mind still on vampires.

Iris looked at her curiously, confused by the odd question, but comprehension dawned on her a moment later. "I'm not a vampire," she said reassuringly. "Some of the villagers asked that too, when Rogue found me and invited me to stay in Silent Grove with them. I can eat pretty much anything people normally eat."

At last, Severa relaxed and strapped her lance to her back. "I'm Severa," she said.

"Lucina," Lucina added, introducing herself. She glanced at Severa, who nodded, as the two women were already thinking the same thing. "If you'd rather travel by night, we don't mind," Lucina offered. "Why don't you stay with us for now? Just in case."

Iris looked relieved. "Really?" she asked, in a grateful tone.

"Sure," Severa agreed. "Just give us some time to pack our stuff up."

* * *

><p>"This journey's off to a fantastic start, isn't it?" Severa said, as she, Lucina, and Iris made their way down the dimly lit forest path.<p>

Lucina frowned. She had expected Severa to be upset, and the sarcasm had been more or less expected. But to her surprise, Severa seemed surprisingly nonchalant about it all, indicating that any nervousness she felt about their own situation was overshadowed by other fears. Lucina thought she had a fairly good guess as to what those fears would be. "I'm sure Morgan's fine, Sev," Lucina assured quietly.

Severa grimaced, a little bit annoyed that Lucina had seen through her so easily. Then again, they hadn't been best friends since childhood for nothing. "I know, but still," Severa said, sighing.

"Uncle Robin often says Morgan is already as bright and resourceful as he ever was," Lucina pointed out. "If it were him, you wouldn't be worried, would you?"

"I'm pretty sure I'd be even more worried. There's a reason Mom doesn't let him out of her sight for more than a few hours," Severa said, grinning. "Somehow, intelligence seems to always be accompanied by bouts of insanity."

"Maybe," Lucina conceded. "But Morgan's pretty careful. And she's probably not too far from us. She can't be more than a week ahead of us, remember?"

"A week in any direction," Severa said sourly. "What about Owain? Where do you think he is?"

"You aren't worried about him, are you?" Lucina asked, in a teasing tone. Unlike when she had prodded Severa about Rogue, this time she garnered the reaction she had been expecting, and Severa's cheeks flushed red with some mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"Of course not," Severa said defensively, and Lucina knew she meant precisely the opposite. "I'm just worried that if we don't find that idiot, too, Morgan won't be willing to head home with us." Severa groaned as she saw Lucina's knowing smile, and knew her friend wasn't fooled in the slightest. "Fine. Maybe just a little," Severa surrendered. Suddenly, she remembered they weren't alone, and turned to glance at Iris.

She needn't have worried. The Laguz was following them silently, lost in her own thoughts. Severa winced sympathetically, as she realized Iris was living through the very fears rooted in her own mind.

Despite the unusual wings, Severa could see quite a bit of herself in their newest companion. And for Iris's sake, Severa found herself desperately hoping that Rogue would be alright.


	10. Chapter 6

**~ Chapter 6 ~**

_Rogue's surprise was complete. He was at a complete loss for words, and could do little more than stare blankly._

_He wasn't sure what he had expected to find within the formerly sealed ruin, but it certainly wasn't the young woman standing before him and staring back at him with a mixture of curiosity and fear in her lavender eyes._

_For a long time, neither of them spoke. Rogue finally tore his eyes away from hers and looked around the small chamber. It was sparsely furnished, and strangely enough, several vines grew around the walls and across the mossy stone floor. The few pieces of furniture were carved from plain stone, and had an old, weathered look to them. Rogue looked down at the ornate stone key that still rested in his palm, noting that it seemed to have been carved from the same material._

_Rogue looked up at the young woman again, to find that she was still staring at him. She sat motionlessly, save for her wings, which resembled those of a large bat and were trembling slightly. Rogue cleared his throat uncomfortably, for the way the woman stared at him made him feel like some sort of monster. Then again, that wasn't too far from the truth: it seemed he had just unwittingly broken into her home._

_"I'm sorry," Rogue said. "I didn't mean to intrude."_

_The woman's eyes widened slightly, and she tilted her head inquisitively._

_"O-Okay, then. I'll show myself out," Rogue stammered. "Sorry for breaking in," he added, before turning for the doorway._

_As he moved, so too did the mysterious woman, who took a single step forward and held out her right hand, as if she was reaching for him. "What is it?" Rogue asked, turning back when he noticed her distress. She relaxed visibly, but said nothing._

_Rogue shrugged. "This is a pretty interesting place," he said in a conversational tone, trying to hide his own discomfort. "I've never seen vines like these before," he added, pointing to the small vines covered in luminescent moss and small fruits winding across the floor. Similar vines grew on the ceiling and walls._

_The woman looked down at the vines, as if seeing them for the first time herself. Predictably, she remained silent._

_"My name's Rogue, by the way," Rogue added, undaunted. "Yeah… I know. It's kind of strange. What's yours?" The woman turned to him, confused. When she still said nothing, Rogue let out a low groan. "You don't understand me, do you?" Rogue asked wryly._

_"I understand," the woman said softly._

_Rogue nearly jumped in surprise. "Wait, you do understand? You can talk? Why didn't you say anything before?" he rambled. The woman seemed to shrink back, her eyes widening in fear, and Rogue instinctively took a step back. "Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you."_

_"Okay," the woman said timidly, though she still watched him warily._

_"You don't have to worry. I won't hurt you," Rogue promised. He held up his hands as he spoke, moving them away from his belted sickle and showing her that they were both empty. She didn't seem to understand the gesture very well, and looked at his gloved hands curiously. At least she no longer seemed afraid, Rogue thought to himself. "What's your name?" Rogue asked again, adopting a gentle tone._

_The woman shook her head. "I don't have one."_

_Rogue furrowed his brow slightly. That wasn't the answer he had been expecting. Then again, he didn't have much right to talk; he hadn't remembered his own name, either, when he met Lily in Silent Grove. Rogue grinned. "That's alright. We'll just have to keep you away until Lily until you have one, or it'll probably end up being something silly like 'mystery' or…" Rogue's voice trailed off as the woman looked at him blankly. "I've lost you again, haven't I? Never mind," Rogue said hastily._

_"Who is Lily?" the woman asked curiously._

_"Lily is one of my friends. We live in a village not far from here," Rogue tried to explain. "When I first came to the village, I didn't remember my name, either. Lily gave me my name. I know it's a strange name, but she's really a very nice person."_

_"Can I meet her?" the woman asked, her expression brightening._

_That took Rogue aback. "Right now?" He tried to hide his surprise a moment later, when he saw that his reluctance seemed to sadden the mysterious woman. "Well, I don't see why not," Rogue said. "Do you want me to invite her here? Or do you want to come with me back to the village?"_

* * *

><p>Rogue sighed morosely. The Revenant Copse was rather gloomy, and at first, he had tried to take his mind off of his surroundings and the many ghost stories the merchants in Wilderness's Edge often told. But his subconscious had only found him an even more painful subject to dwell upon, with memories that weren't so easily suppressed.<p>

He could still remember asking the town elder, a kindly old man who had lived in Silent Grove for practically all his life, what lied within the strange stone door built into the Dagger Cliffs. The elder had no answer for him, for none of the villagers had ever been able to find a way inside. The treasure hunters from afar showed no interest in a mysterious stone door near the haunted woods, either. Especially not with the old mountain caves to the northeast and the Crystal Caverns on the eastern side of the Flameheart Mountains, rich in mineral and gemstones and ripe for exploration.

But his curiosity remained unsated, and Rogue returned to the outskirts of the Revenant Copse, again and again. He himself witnessed one of the peculiar phenomena associated with the region, when he discovered strange wisps of silvery light drifting through the woods at night, visible from just beyond the region's perimeter. Though the eerie sightings kept him from setting foot within the Revenant Copse, he continued to search for a way through the stone door. Still, after a month of trying, the door remained stubbornly shut.

And then, on one of his treks into the forest, he had found a strange, ornate, stone key, lying in a pond not too far away from the temple. The pond was fed from a small stream from the mountain. When Rogue used it to open the temple, he realized the key must have been stored within the temple itself, which housed a fresh spring, the source of the pond's water.

Even now, Rogue was still unsure of the temple's purpose. Nature had reclaimed it, and its walls, floors, and ceilings were covered in overgrown vines and moss. The glowing moss offered enough light to sustain the plant-life and the few fruit-covered vines. There was no treasure to be found. No religious icons or ancient artifacts.

Just a few plants, and the mysterious girl with the wings of a bat. A Laguz of a tribe that no one even knew existed.

Rogue smiled unconsciously when he remembered bringing her back to the village. It had been her idea, but the woman had seemed so timid at the time, staying uncomfortably close to him all the way back, even as she marveled at the forest scenery that had long since become routine to her guide. And when they arrived at Silent Grove, she had quickly taken a liking to one of the flowers growing in his field, a black iris the same color as her hair, which became her namesake.

Despite her exotic appearance, Iris was welcomed wholeheartedly by the inviting villagers. Sometime later, Rogue found himself curious about Iris's past, but as it turned out, not unlike Rogue himself, Iris had little in the way of memories. In her case, it was simply because she had very little to remember. She could only faintly remember her parents bringing her to the temple a long time ago, sealing her within, where she subsisted off the spring water and subterranean fruits. She wasn't even certain how many timeless years she had spent, sealed away in the mysterious stone temple. Still, she seemed happy with the new life Silent Grove had offered her.

And now Silent Grove was gone. Iris was gone. If he hadn't been so stubborn in finding a way into the temple, she might still have be alive. The thought was unbearable to poor Rogue, and he desperately cast his mind about, trying not to think about his dear friend. Trying not to hear her soft, gentle singing, or remember her love for painting the beautiful landscapes that were a stark contrast to the ancient ruins that had been her home and prison for so long.

Rogue ambled on, lost in thoughts both painful and comforting, until the soft sound of wind chimes interrupted the irresistible dreams. Rogue turned in the direction of the strange noise, and spotted a glowing sphere of silvery light, about two feet in diameter, drifting back and forth, weaving between the branches above him. So little light peered through the canopy above that he couldn't be certain of the time, but he suspected hours had passed, and silently wondered if he was even on track anymore. If he had gotten turned around, he could easily be going in circles now.

He watched the wisp apprehensively as it approached him, and began circling him steadily. The wisps were the most common of the ghost stories, sighted by almost everyone who approached the Revenant Copse at night, but no one really knew what they were. Some stories hinted them to be malevolent spirits that would lure curious wayfarers to gruesome, mysterious deaths, while others labeled them benign and playful spirits, seeking only to amuse wanderers.

"Alright, you have my attention," Rogue whispered, feeling perfectly ridiculous, as the wisp made a fifth circle around him. "What do you want now?"

The wisp seemed to understand him, and as he spoke aloud, it began to drift off slowly, just a little bit to the left of the direction he had been traveling before. He watched it float away, but when it was about fifteen feet away, it floated back to him and began circling him once more.

With a sigh, Rogue tried to ignore the light, and continued in the direction he thought was east. But he had only gone a few feet, when the wisp began to vibrate in its orbit, as if it were agitated. When he stopped, the wisp became calm and steady once more, but continued to circle him.

"What do you want?" Rogue demanded again, after remaining silent and stationary for a full minute. In response to his words, the wisp began drifting off again, in the same direction as before. As he watched it float away, he started to follow his own path again, but the wisp shot back to his side, vibrating once more until he stopped. "You want me to follow you?" he guessed.

This time, when the wisp began its slow crawl away, he followed, and sure enough, the wisp seemed content to lead him along a mostly straight path, although it politely went around dense thickets and thorny bushes, guiding him along a reasonably safe and clear route. "I have no idea why I'm following you," Rogue muttered, as he silently hoped this wisp was not of the deadly and murderous variety.

His feelings of unease hardly diminished when two more wisps found their way to his side, and soared off ahead, swirling around the first. Still, the strange light illuminated a few familiar sights. Several vines growing along the trees and mossy floor were covered in the same mysterious glowing moss and sweet fruits that grew in the temple where he had found Iris. Perhaps whoever had built the temple had planted the vines there on purpose, and had once lived in these woods. Rogue thought to turn back and to head east once more, but he groaned as he realized he now had no idea which direction was which, leaving him no choice but to follow the strange wisps.

* * *

><p>The wisps finally came to a stop, as Rogue stumbled into a large clearing. By now, there were eight of the strange wisps. Upon reaching the clearing, the wisps seemed satisfied, and they scattered, casting their silvery glow down upon the forest floor. Though the Revenant Copse surrounded him still, for this section, at least, there were no canopies obscuring the starlight above, which shined down and illuminated the quiet meadow.<p>

The light, from the skies and from the mysterious wisps, clearly outlined the many skeletons strewn across the forest floor, lying peacefully amidst the tall grass.

Rogue felt his heart beating rapidly, and his skin felt cold and clammy. He had discovered animal remains dozens of times in the forest, and even found a set of human remains once, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something about the scene around him now was poignantly different.

The skeletons were humanoid. That much was quickly apparent. There were nearly two dozen of them scattered around the meadow, and the desiccated bones seemed to be quite ancient. Wing bones were clearly visible extending from the spine of each skeleton. They were mostly intact, but splayed oddly on the ground, and most of them showed some signs of damage. Scattered among the humanoid skeletons were the remains of animals. Large, winged mammals.

Rogue found a sudden, inexplicable urge to look away, and glanced up at the wisps instead. His mysterious guides were drifting idly through the forest air, above the clearing, in an unthreatening manner. He stared at the wisps for several minutes, and the soothing, silvery light left him feeling strangely calm.

He looked down again at the remains of what could only be Laguz. Not just any Laguz, but more of the mysterious bat Laguz. Iris's people, he guessed. He took a deep breath before carefully and respectfully making his way through the meadow, doing his best to leave the skeletons undisturbed.

As he did, his thoughts returned to Iris. "Just how long were you buried in the temple?" Rogue whispered aloud. He wasn't exactly knowledgeable when it came to human remains, but he had seen the corpses of animals before in the forest, and knew that, at the very least, these skeletons were decades old. Any flesh or clothing had rotted away long ago, and not even the scent of decay remained. But though there were signs of damage, Rogue guessed that they were the marks of wounds the Laguz sustained in life. Fatal wounds, perhaps. The skeletons were too undisturbed to have been picked clean by scavengers, and the bodies must have been left here, lying peacefully, for many years.

He looked around for the wisps, and noticed that some of them had drifted underneath the canopy once more. Rogue cringed as he noticed the light illuminating long, narrow objects suspended just below the canopy, thinking he had discovered only more skeletons. But he relaxed when he realized they were simply narrow beams of flexible wood, bound together into leaf-like shapes, and partially rotted. Beneath the odd shapes were pieces of stone furniture, and Rogue understood. Bats often used large leaves, chewed appropriately to provide some cover from the elements. The bat Laguz must have built something similar. This part of the forest must have been their home, and the wooden leaf-like objects were likely once the roofs of their houses.

Rogue approached a large stone table, noting that it was shaped like some of the simple, unadorned furnishings that he had found in Iris's temple. There was a large scroll of parchment lying upon it. The writing had begun to fade from age, but remained legible. It was dated, too, and Rogue frowned when he realized this particular letter was almost two hundred years old.

* * *

><p><em>To our welcome guest,<em>

_If you are reading this letter, the starlight elementals that still silently reside in our home have deemed you worthy of the truth. We apologize if their mysterious appearance has alarmed you in anyway, for that was not our intent._

_Our precautions must seem strange to one unfamiliar with our nature. We suspect that, by the time this letter is read, few will hold any recollection of our existence. We are Laguz, and yet, in some ways, we are not. While the Laguz willingly separate themselves into the kingdoms of the Beasts and the Birds, we are both, yet neither. And while the Laguz can transform freely, our powers are dampened by the light of day, rendering our transformations impossible, save under the darkness of the night._

_And perhaps the most damning truth is our love for the art of magic. The Laguz despite magic, yet we embraced it, gladly making it a part of our lives._

_The Beorc, too, rarely hold any love in their hearts for the Laguz. We, the Vespertilio, the bat Laguz, suffered even more at their hands, due to our unfortunate resemblance to undead monsters from Beorc mythology._

_Most of us have long since come to terms with the truth of our existence, and have accepted our new lives for what they are. Our world is trapped in endless conflict founded on the differences between Beorc and Laguz, and our own differences are only greater. Our search for peace led us here, away from the tormented lives we once knew. The Laguz who remember us likely believe us extinct now, and the Beorc have all but forgotten about us entirely. Out here, we have carved ourselves a new existence from our peaceful isolation._

_If you standing here and reading this letter, then the starlight elementals have seen into your heart, and know that you, unlike many others, may find the kindness to accept us for what we are. For that, we owe you our gratitude, and whether you are Beorc or Laguz means little to us._

_The death of our tribe approaches. One of our sons, a clever yet vengeful young man named Sli'sk, has tampered with magic beyond him, the same magic that afflicts the Beorc who are known as Spirit Charmers. In his bitterness against those who have driven us to the fringes of Tellius, he sought to summon and control the dire eidolon, Extinction._

_Extinction is free now, and Sli'sk has been consumed by the very magic he tried to wield. No choice lies before us now; we must destroy Extinction before it rains devastation upon the world around us, else the weight of our son's crimes descend upon the innocent. But if you are reading this letter, then we have failed. We, too, have likely departed this world._

_We aren't certain how long it will be before our guardians find someone worthy, and bring them to this place that was once our sanctuary. But if you find this letter soon enough, one of our number may still live. Our youngest daughter, too young to face Extinction beside us. Too young to have a name, even, for in accordance to our traditions, a child is only named at the dusk of her fifth year of life. We have sealed her away in a temple to the west, built into the cliff. It was a shelter we constructed for our time of need. Our daughter holds a key, but will likely never use it herself, for, to her youthful ignorance, nothing awaits her beyond the door._

_The other key lies here, beneath this letter._

_The world will soon forget about us. But our daughter deserves a chance at life, and you, with an open heart, may be able to offer her that, if it is not too late._

_With our eternal gratitude,_

_The Vespertilio_

* * *

><p>Numbly, Rogue gently moved the parchment aside. As he did, the old parchment seemed to begin to crumble. Though he knew it didn't really matter, somehow, the sight of the worn material degenerating bothered him, and he folded it together with extreme care, hoping to keep it intact for a while longer.<p>

Just as the letter had promised, below it was a key, an ornate, stone art piece that was an exact duplicate of the one he had used to open the temple. Beside it rested a small silver pendant, encrusted with a perfectly polished, shimmering, swirling white and sky-blue gemstone.

Without even intending to, he had fulfilled the last wish of these people, hated and forgotten by the world around them. He had freed Iris, and given her a new home and a new life.

A life that had been stolen from her after only a few short months.

Rogue turned to the skeletal remains littering the meadow. All that remained of Iris's tribe and family. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his eyes burning with tears. Silence, punctuated only by the soft noise of wind chimes emitted by the wisps hovering about, met his words.

The burdened young man turned, peering through the forests around the clearing. This place wasn't cursed or haunted, after all. For centuries, it had been a sanctuary to these people, a refuge from a world that had no place for them. Now that he knew what he was searching for, he could see the homes of the Laguz. Small tree houses, and simple shelters carefully crafted from thin, precisely trimmed branches.

Rogue imagined this place as it must have once been, full of life. Optimistic, kind, and warmhearted people as Iris was, content with a simplistic, comfortable existence surrounded by nature. He could see their children, flying around gaily in the evening sky, playing with the starlight elementals, and their parents, going about their own lives below, building new shelters or gathering fruit from the vines strewn throughout the forest.

He looked at the letter again, careful not to let his tears drip onto the frail parchment. Finally, he folded it gently and slipped it into a pocket on the inside of his cloak. He collected the pendant and key, too, as they had been evidently left for him or someone like him, though he wasn't sure what use he could find for either trinket. He looked up at one of the wisps.

"Can you show me the way out?" he asked, guessing that these starlight elementals, as the letter labeled them, could probably understand him. "I need to travel to the east, to the settlement there."

Three of the closest wisps floated toward him, and after circling him once, began drifting away slowly once more. As Rogue followed them back into the depths of the Revenant Copse, his thoughts were fixated upon Iris and her tribe once more. "Are you with your family now, Iris?" Rogue asked quietly, wondering if his friend could hear him from behind the mysterious veil that separated the world of the living from the world beyond.

As he thought of the bat Laguz, and the resigned tone of the letter, the acceptance of their persecution, he understood, for the first time, the true impact of the War of the Goddess. Everyone knew the legend, of how five hundred years ago, Beorc and Laguz learned to begin to accept each other as equals, and founded a peaceful coexistence.

A peaceful coexistence for everyone but those previously driven away, it seemed. It was hard to imagine that for three centuries, an entire tribe of Laguz had been forgotten, and had lived here, peacefully, unknowing of the great change that had come over the world around them. But only now did Rogue understand just how cruel of a world Tellius had once been.

"I hope you've found your peace, Iris," Rogue whispered. "And we'll meet again, one day."

* * *

><p>The night had already fallen in full by the time he had reached the clearing. Rogue wasn't exactly sure how long it had been since he departed from the final resting place of the bat Laguz, but it had to have been a couple hours at least, and he began to fear that day would come before he escaped the Revenant Copse. The wisps, or starlight elementals as the letter had labeled them, were never seen by day, and without them, he would be thoroughly lost. So despite his fatigue, he pushed on, following the wisps wherever they would lead him, hoping that they had understood his need and were indeed leading him out.<p>

"Halt!" an eerie voice commanded. The voice was oddly distorted, as if shouted through water, and seemed partially muffled. It echoed strangely, too, and Rogue spun around nervously, not entirely sure what to expect.

A small man stared back at him, his magenta eyes narrowed angrily, his long, dark hair hanging messily behind him. He wasn't particularly intimidating, as he was thin and wiry, and stood nearly a foot shorter than Rogue, but the hatred etched deeply into the man's features were unmistakable. A pair of leathery brown wings flapped gently behind him, keeping him suspended a couple feet off the ground. Strangely enough, he seemed somewhat insubstantial, as he was glowing, and his features were just slightly blurred.

"You have come to our home. To our sanctuary," the man said, his voice dripping with venom. "Yet you are not of the Vespertilio. You are not even of the Laguz. You are _human_." The man spat the last word derisively, as if it had been an insult.

"I am," Rogue admitted, looking at the man warily. Something about the Laguz's appearance screamed otherworldly to Rogue, and though initially, he had been surprised to see another bat Laguz, he now suspected the man to be something less than a true Laguz. Something less than alive.

"Then you will pay for the crimes of your people," the man snarled, and he began to transform.

"Wait!" Rogue cried out, but if the Laguz heard his pleas, he gave no indication of it. Rogue gasped in horror as the Laguz finished his transformation, confirming Rogue's fears.

Unlike Iris, who looked like any other bat when transformed, only larger and retaining her lavender eyes, this Laguz bore more of a resemblance to an eidolon. Its skin was devoid of fur, and pitch black. Its face was skeletal, and bore disproportionately long fangs. The man's magenta eyes had been replaced by glowing, golden fiery orbs. Its wings, too, became skeletal, although somehow they were enough to keep the Laguz-eidolon afloat. "I, Sli'sk, shall avenge my people! Repent!" the creature rasped.

"And that Severa woman thought _I_ was being melodramatic," Rogue muttered under his breath, trying not to be alarmed by the fact that the eidolon attacking him was apparently capable of speaking aloud. He grimaced a moment later, recognizing the Laguz's name.

Both of the Laguz's skeletal wings wrapped forward, then flew back with sudden force as Sli'sk's skull shot forward, emitting a wave of light. Rogue stumbled back hastily, but the wave surged forth and caught him, striking him with searing heat.

Rogue recovered only just in time to draw forth his sickle, for the eidolon descended upon him then, its powerful fangs reaching for his head. The warrior swung his weapon upward, batting the monstrosity away. He dived aside a moment later, as Sli'sk's wings came forward again, and sure enough, another wave of light burst forward, only narrowly missing Rogue.

Sli'sk folded his wings in front of his body, wrapping himself tightly. As he did, the wings began to glow, forming a sphere of light. Rogue backed away cautiously, expecting his winged adversary to rush forward once more.

Instead, a burst of light shot outward, forming the silhouette of a winged man, with one hand twisted into a large, vicious claw. The figure soared through the air toward Rogue, who quickly rolled aside. Behind him, the image swung its claw down where Rogue had been standing before, then shattered as if it had made from glass, shards of light falling all around and fading away. But even as the first image faded, a second burst erupted from the sphere, and then a third, fourth, and fifth in quick succession. Each time, it formed a similar silhouette.

Rogue scrambled to escape the strange projectiles, but the last one shattered too close to him, and the shards of light fell over him. One caught the tail of his coat, leaving a black scorch mark. Another slapped against his left hand, and Rogue howled in pain as his hand burned, leaving an angry red welt. And then Sli'sk himself emerged from the sphere.

The glowing wings faded and became skeletal once more, and the rest of the magical light seemed to fade, too, save for a single staff-like pillar hovering eerily in the air. The pillar flashed, brighter than ever, then crumbled away.

Instinctively, Rogue swung his sickle sweeping forward defensively. But the weapon did little to deflect the spell, and magically inspired lethargy seemed to flood his body. His movements felt slow and heavy, and he nearly fell where he stood. Only adrenaline kept him from sinking into a cursed slumber then and there.

Sli'sk let out a victorious shriek and dove forward, talons outstretched. A burst of light magic preceded him, throwing his victim to the floor. But before the eidolon-like menace's claws could tear into the helpless warrior, a series of soft popping noises sounded from behind Rogue.

Five tiny spheres of light spiraled forth, leaving trails of silver light as they cascaded toward the eidolon. They struck the eidolon in quick succession, exploding silently into a shower of light as they connected, and Sli'sk shrank back painfully from the barrage. Rogue, recovering from the magical drowsiness at last, spun around quickly, seeking the source of the attack.

It was one of the wisps, the starlight elementals that he had been following. Rogue watched, mesmerized, as the wisp flashed, and several more of the magical projectiles burst forth.

Sli'sk's agonized shrieks, as the second barrage collided with him, brought Rogue's attention to the eidolon once more. Rogue charged ahead, swiping his sickle at the eidolon, aiming for its wings now. With the added distraction of the shimmering star-like missiles, the eidolon could find no escape, and the sickle battered against it repeatedly.

Finally, the shadowy flesh and bones gave in, and the eidolon crumbled. It began to shift back into a more humanoid form, but the transformation did little to save it, and it continued to burn away, golden smoke dissipating into the air.

The last to fade away was Sli'sk's face, humanoid once more, glaring at Rogue, twisted by a deep, profound, burning hatred.

* * *

><p>As soon as the eidolon was beaten, the rest of the wisps returned. Knowing that sunrise wasn't far off, and that the wisps wouldn't be with him for much longer, Rogue wasted no time in following the wisps once more. It seemed the wisps could sense his impatience, too, and they set a faster pace. Rogue followed tirelessly in their wake, but to his dismay, after about an hour, the wisps did indeed vanish. With no other option before him, Rogue continued in the same direction.<p>

Not long after, Rogue saw the sunlight peeking out ahead, through the thinner forest canopy. He emerged from the muted darkness of the Revenant Copse beside a small pond. "Just north of Wilderness's Edge," Rogue said aloud, with satisfaction, as he recognized the place.

He came to the road a short while later, but reluctantly, he moved away from it, retreating away from the beaten path into the quieter parts of the forest. Given his state of exhaustion, he was in no condition to fight another battle immediately, and if the soldiers were still in Wilderness's Edge, a battle would be inevitable.

Reasoning that it would be safer for him to enter by night, anyways, Rogue settled down to treat his wounds and get some rest. After applying some crushed herbs and cool water to the burns, he unfurled and lied down upon his bedroll, silently wondering if he dared to sleep.

The night Silent Grove had been destroyed, he had retreated into the woods, and after finding a secluded spot, had tried to find some rest. But the thoughts of his friends in Silent Grove, and fears of seeing them in his dreams, had kept his mind firmly awake.

He thought of Sli'sk, a foolish young man who had brought about the death of his entire tribe. He thought of the intolerance the other people of their world must have leveled against the bat Laguz, to inspire such bitterness. He thought of Iris, who had been sealed away from it all, her family hoping to offer her a second chance at life.

Rogue thought of how that second chance had ended.

"Medea," Rogue whispered, reminding himself to focus on the road ahead.

Still, when he closed his eyes and succumbed to weariness at last, his friends were waiting.

* * *

><p><em>"Hey, you," Lily said, wearing a sunny smile as she saw Rogue step into the tavern. "Finally finished with the farm work?"<em>

_Rogue nodded. "Yes. And before you ask yet again, yes, I just planted the midnight violet seeds you brought me the other day."_

_"Good," Noelle interrupted, with a satisfied smirk. "I was beginning to think Lily would never stop asking about them."_

_Lily blushed. "It was Harmony who gave them to me," she said defensively. "She said she'd thought I like them, but you guys threw out my flower pots!"_

_"Not all of them," Rogue said, grinning. "Just the ones covering your bed, kitchen table, and floor."_

_"Which was most of them," Noelle said, laughing. "I think Lily might become a permanent decorative piece for your fields as she watches the violets grow, Rogue. Maybe you should hang some old clothes on her and use her as a scarecrow while she's there."_

_"Hey! I can hear you!" Lily protested._

_"You sticking around tonight, Rogue?" Noelle asked cheerfully, ignoring her bubbly friend's complaints. "Jake's already pretty drunk. He'll probably start singing any minute, now."_

_Rogue shuddered. The portly, kindly man was a good friend, but a terrible singer. "Definitely not. I'll probably stick around a few minutes before heading out to the forest. I was thinking about heading over to the river for some fishing."_

_"Ooh! Can I come with you?" Lily asked eagerly._

_"Last time you came with me, you fell asleep and I had to carry you home," Rogue reminded patiently._

_"Well, that's because you always go out at night!" Lily said. "Why don't you head out earlier?"_

_"It's cooler at night," Rogue said with a shrug. "Quieter, too."_

_"Are you sure you're not secretly also a bat Laguz?" Noelle teased. "You sound just like Iris, waking up in the afternoon and going to sleep just before sunrise."_

_"Iris doesn't wake up until sunset, usually," Rogue pointed out._

_Iris, apparently hearing her name, wandered over to their table._

_Before Iris could say anything, an excited expression made its way onto Lily's face. "Hey, Iris, you should go fishing with Rogue tonight!" she suggested eagerly._

_"Oh! Can I?" Iris asked excitedly._

_"Do you know how to fish?" Rogue asked curiously, suspecting the answer already._

_Iris looked crestfallen, but Lily gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "It's okay, I don't know how to fish either. But it's still a lot of fun!"_

_"What's so fun about watching someone else fish?" Noelle asked, rolling her eyes. "It's like watching grass grow. Oh wait, you do that, too!" she added with mock surprise._

_"Flowers, not grass!" Lily corrected peevishly. "Anyways, Rogue won't mind if you don't know how to fish. As long as you don't fall asleep out there. Right?" she asked, turning to Rogue with a winning smile._

_Rogue shook his head, grinning helplessly. "Fine." He and Iris actually ventured out in the woods together rather frequently, for she was the only one as comfortable in the forests of the night as he was. Sometimes it worried him; as quiet as she was, Rogue sometimes lost track of her. But after only a few treks out, Iris knew the surrounding woods better than anyone else in the village, so there was little for him to be concerned about._

_Lily then leaned close to Iris's ear and whispered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Make sure you push him in!"_

_"Please don't," Rogue pleaded. "I just washed and dried my cloak last week."_

_"Stop that, Lily. You're a bad influence on Iris," Noelle said, feigning sternness._

_Their harmless banter continued for some time, until, true to Noelle's prediction, Jake began singing about half an hour later. Rogue decided that was his cue to leave, and he and Iris set off to enjoy another quiet night beneath the peacefully swaying trees._

_As it turned out, they didn't go anywhere near the river that night. Halfway there, they took a detour north into the forest instead, gathering wild mushrooms and collecting beautiful, fallen flower blossoms that only bloomed in the spring. Eventually, they came to a small clearing with a hill, and the two of them spent the rest of the evening there, gazing up at the stars._

_"Look, a shooting star!" Iris pointed out happily, as she spotted a silver streak speed across the dark canvas stretched above them. "Lily says you should always make a wish when you see one!"_

_"Why not?" Rogue agreed. For him, making a wish was easy._

_Let whatever darkness that laid behind him stay buried, so that the carefree, blissful days besides his new friends and family could continue forever._

_Peaceful memories, forever ingrained in his dreams, filling the void that had once been all that he had._


	11. Chapter 7

**~ Chapter 7 ~**

The light of the sun had already dimmed when Rogue awoke once more. Dried tears stained his face, and his mind remained tortured and weary. Though his dreams faded quickly, the grief lingered still. He took a deep breath, trying his best to close his heart from the pain.

Rogue looked to the south, where he knew Wilderness's Edge rested, less than half a mile away. Again, he reasoned that it would be prudent to wait for night to fall once more before continuing. He was more comfortable under the quiet light of the stars and moon, and if there were more of the soldiers waiting, he would need every advantage he could find.

Thinking of the impending nightfall inevitably brought bittersweet memories of better times back to the front of his mind. With a sigh, Rogue pushed the thoughts away once more, and reached for his pouch of berries and dried nuts, searching for anything to distract himself from the unpleasant emotions.

He found the pouch empty, which almost came as a relief to him. "I guess I know what I'll be doing until the sun sets, then," Rogue mused quietly. He meandered a short distance away, and was careful to stay out of sight as he refilled his pouch with freshly picked berries.

* * *

><p>A pair of soldiers marched patiently into Wilderness's Edge. Their black light-plated armor gleamed under the light of the stars. The settlement was empty, now, save for their companions. Not long after the Redeemers had made their presence known, the merchants and travelers had departed, like rats fleeing a sinking ship.<p>

"Captain Stulton! The bodies have been buried, sir!" one of them said, as they approached their commander. As he spoke, he held up a small steel wand capped with an unusual, shiny, black metal.

Stulton waved the offering away. Though he looked much the same as the other soldiers, his armor and tear shaped shield were trimmed in silver. The slightly more elaborate design conveyed his rank, and was enough to command the respect of his men. "Has there been any sign of Lord Tantalus?"

"No, sir," both soldiers answered simultaneously.

Stulton sighed. Lady Medea would not be pleased to learn that they found Tantalus, only to allow the renegade to escape. "Well, we won't likely find him again on our own. Not if he's even half as powerful as the stories say."

One of the soldiers grimaced. "They say he was far beyond Lady Medea, even. That he was quite nearly Lord Charon's equal."

"Never mind that now," Stulton instructed absently. "Are there still any of our men back in the goddess-forsaken village?"

"No, sir. We were the last," one of the soldiers replied.

Stulton nodded, satisfied. "Very well. There's still two of the supply carts left. Stash the wand in the one that's nearly fully loaded; we won't need to cross the ruined bridge again. Leave me my personal guard. The rest of you can take the carts back to the citadel."

"What about you, sir?" the other soldier asked.

"Once we finish clearing up the campsite, we'll catch up to you. We'll be no more than a few hours behind," Stulton assured. "Leave the phantom with me, though."

"Yes, sir."

As the two men left, Stulton looked up at the full moon, shining brightly and rising in the east. His mission here had left a sour taste in his mouth, but Lady Medea's temper was not to be trifled with. Still, the screams of the dying villagers had followed him from the village. "Damn you, Tantalus," Stulton muttered, cursing the traitor in hopes of finding some escape from the guilt that plagued him.

After some time, soft footsteps against the mossy ground sounded out from behind him. "Are we ready to depart?" Stulton asked, without turning around, assuming that his guards had finished packing.

"Depart to where?" Rogue asked, in a dangerous tone. Stulton spun around, shocked, and Rogue recognized him immediately as the apparent leader of the soldiers back in Silent Grove.

"Tantalus!" the captain cried out, as he stumbled back nervously.

"Who?" Rogue asked, eyes narrowing.

Stulton looked at him blankly for a moment. "You're Tantalus, aren't you? The former Lodestar?"

"Lodestar?" Rogue echoed hollowly, not recognizing the title.

"Don't lie to me," Stulton grimaced. "You're a spirit charmer, and a powerful one at that, given you were able to break Lady Medea's hold upon those eidolons back in the village."

Rogue grimaced, stung by how casually the man had mentioned Silent Grove, as if he and his soldiers had not just massacred dozens of innocent villagers. "That's the second time you've mentioned this Lady Medea. Who is she?" When Stulton hesitated, Rogue's expression grew fierce. "Tell me!" he demanded vehemently.

"You don't know of Lady Medea?" Stulton asked, looking at Rogue suspiciously. "You aren't Lord Tantalus after all, are you? You aren't even a Redeemer."

Rogue drew his sickle impatiently. "Enough of your riddles. You will tell me who you are, and why you are here," he said dangerously, brandishing the makeshift weapon.

Stulton shook his head, regret coming over him. But he knew his duty. "I am truly sorry. You and your village have been caught up in matters far beyond you. It seems Lady Medea was mistaken, after all. It was misfortune alone that our paths crossed." As he finished speaking, he drew his lance.

Rogue was upon the unfortunate captain before he could even brandish the weapon. The sickle bit into the sturdy armor twice, and both times, Stulton recoiled only just in time to avoid any serious harm. When the captain finally managed to assume a defensive posture, the speed and intensity of Rogue's vicious chops and slashes only intensified, and Stulton knew he was sorely outmatched.

The beaten captain began searching for an escape, as he scrambled to parry Rogue's brutal fury. After the sickle narrowly missed slashing Stulton's throat, the captain seized a dagger from his belt in his left hand, and flipped it through the air. Rogue fell back immediately, and Stulton turned to flee, suddenly wishing he had not sent the rest of his men ahead of him.

He burst into the now nearly empty settlement, where his four remaining guards were packing away the last of the tents. All of them turned, startled to see their captain fleeing from the young man who had escaped them back in the razed village. The soldiers drew their weapons immediately, but Stulton ignored them as he searched for his remaining trump card.

"Phantom Luna!" Stulton called, as he spotted the silver-clad figure, lying beside the supply cart. Obediently, and without a word, the figure rose to its full seven-foot height. It looked to be an extremely tall and bulky man, clad entirely from head-to-toe in full silver plate armor. Its full helm bore a silver visor, shaped like a skull. Golden eyes gleamed faintly from the depths of the helm.

Rogue staggered to a stop when he saw his newest challenger. "What the hell is that?" he gasped.

"Leave the refugee to the phantom!" Stulton ordered his men. He made his way around Rogue, carefully keeping his distance from the dangerous warrior, and his men followed suit, as the phantom moved forward to strike at Rogue.

* * *

><p>"Should we try to help the phantom?" one of the soldiers asked, as the five Redeemers made their way to the clearing where Rogue had confronted Stulton before.<p>

"No. Lady Medea was mistaken. The renegade isn't Tantalus, but he is still far beyond us," Stulton warned. "Still, few can stand against a phantom alone. And I doubt he is capable of breaking Lord Charon's hold upon the phantom."

"So… we just wait?" another soldier asked uneasily, and he peered in the direction of the settlement nervously.

"In that case, seeing as you aren't busy, why don't you explain to us what exactly is going on here?" an unfamiliar voice rang out harshly. As she spoke, Severa unstrapped Passion from her back.

The soldiers spun in unison to see Severa and Lucina standing about twenty paces away, weapons drawn and held menacingly. Iris, who stood behind them, eyed the soldiers nervously. One of the soldiers gasped in recognition, for he had been one of the three soldiers who had attempted to pursue Iris up the mountainside. The distinctive wings easily marked their escaped quarry.

"More innocents, caught in the crossfire," Stulton said with a deep sigh. He was tempted to demand they leave, but he knew better. If Lady Medea were ever to learn that they had intentionally allowed witnesses to escape, her wrath would be insufferable. "Take them," he commanded, drawing his lance once more. The four soldiers drew their own weapons, a pair of axes and another pair of swords.

Lucina rushed forward first, and moved to the side, immediately drawing the attention of both axe-wielding soldiers. As Falchion easily turned the first soldier's mighty axe and bit through his breastplate, Stulton grimaced, realizing that this sword-wielding woman with raven-blue hair was even deadlier than the renegade he had battled earlier.

And then Severa approached him and the remaining two swordsmen, willingly engaging all three at once. Passion's sleek and elegant spearhead arced through the air rapidly, with such speed that neither of the soldiers, nor their captain, were willing to try to approach. Instead, all three tried to retreat, but Severa paced them, the lance shearing violently through their armor.

As Passion found its way through one soldier's armor and bit into his side, the soldier desperately lunged forward. A quick reversal from Severa sent her attacker's weapon spinning harmlessly to the ground, and Severa danced around him, bringing the spinning lance downward. Passions' shaft slapped painfully against the captain's helmet, with a loud clanging noise.

Stulton staggered away, the force having carried through to his brow, and he watched, dazed, as Severa cleanly dispatched the last of the swordsmen, Passion shattering the man's armor and tearing into his heart.

A short distance away, Lucina almost seemed to be toying with the second axe-wielding fighter, who was attacking recklessly and desperately. Stulton grimaced as blow after blow failed to hits its mark, and each time, the soldier fell away bearing a new cut.

Stulton thought to flee, but knew he had to salvage the situation somehow, if only to appease Lady Medea sufficiently so that the brutal woman would consider granting him a mote of mercy. He settled on the last of the party, the strange Laguz, and charged, brandishing his lance at the defenseless woman.

Severa's lance found his wrist, and Stulton dropped his weapon, howling in anguish. "I yield!" he cried.

Severa scoffed at the notion, as she deftly caught his falling lance in her left hand. In her many battles alongside the Shepherds, she had met bandits less brutal and heartless than these soldiers.

Stulton's eyes widened as he saw the disgust in Severa's eyes. "Please, have mercy," he pleaded pathetically. "I have a family… a son."

Severa's eyes flashed with anger, for Stulton's words didn't inspire any mercy as he had hoped, but instead reminded Severa of the gruesome massacre in Silent Grove. His feeble pleas were silenced as Severa lashed out reflexively, plunging Stulton's own lance into his chest. The weapon's razor-sharp edge burrowed through his lungs, stealing his breath forever.

"Maybe you should've thought about that before setting out to become a murderer," Severa said heatedly.

Lucina and Iris moved to Severa's side, but neither said anything until the last gasps of life faded from the dying captain.

"He might have had information valuable to us," Lucina reminded gently, though in truth, she knew she probably would've done the same. The sight of Silent Grove still haunted her, too. Even brigands were rarely so cruel as to blindly murder everyone in their paths.

Before Severa could reply, a mighty explosion rang out from the meadow ahead.

* * *

><p>Rogue had no idea what to make of this bizarre adversary. The faint glow from the eye slits beneath the silver skull visor reminded him of eidolons, but the creature resembled a human in shape more closely than any eidolon he had seen before. And besides, since when did eidolons wear armor?<p>

The armor itself was rather elaborate, with fine and elegantly curved ridges, and sparkling sapphires inlaid along its bracers, adorning the center of its breastplate, and cresting both of its pauldrons. If it weren't for the armor's sheer size, Rogue would have guessed that it was designed for ceremonial purposes.

Conversely, the phantom paid little attention to its foe, other than to comply with the commands it had received. It swung a powerful first forward, and sparking sapphire flames erupted around it, outlining the heavy gauntlet. Rogue's sickle slapped against the extended gauntlet, but his weapon did little to the surprisingly sturdy armor. The intense flames, on the other hand, quickly took their toll upon the tool, and when Rogue retracted the sickle, he noted a burr on its edge where the heat had begun to melt through the steel.

A flurry of fists sent Rogue scrambling away once more. This time, one blow came dangerously close, and grazed his coat, setting it ablaze. Without hesitation, Rogue cast the long, leather garment aside. He grimaced as the fine coat continued to burn, though the flames diminished as it came in touch with the wet forest floor. The contents of the coat's pockets were scattered as well, and Rogue realized he had likely just destroyed the letter he had salvaged from the Revenant Copse.

Again, Rogue tried to strike at the phantom with his sickle. This time, he was careful to avoid the blazing gauntlets. But though the phantom had been apparently crafted from silver, supposedly a softer metal than the steel sickle, the weapon's blade could not cut through, and could find no purchase upon the smooth plates. After a failed attempt to latch his sickle upon one of the seams of the phantom's armor, one of his adversary's powerful fists found his shoulder. Rogue's sickle slipped from his grasp, and he fell back again, a sharp pain surging through his wounded shoulder. And then, it was as if he could feel his arm no longer. He looked at the way it hung limply, horrified as he realized the phantom had dislocated his arm entirely.

As the phantom struck at him again, Rogue dove aside, retrieving the sickle in his left hand. Thankfully, he was reasonably comfortable using his weapon in either hand, an advantage he had pressed before against some stronger eidolons. Now, what had been a luxury was a necessity. Searching for any sign of weakness, Rogue parried the phantom's continuous battering assault carefully, keeping his distance.

Rogue stepped away, giving ground continuously and circling to avoid being cornered, though his opponent still seemed completely untouchable. He felt his boot slide against a small, smooth object. Guessing it to be a rock, he slipped his foot around it and kicked it into the air towards the phantom's visor.

The pendant Rogue had found in the Revenant Copse, which had fallen from the pocket of the coat he cast aside, shot through the air, striking the phantom precisely in the forehead. When Rogue recognized the pendant, he flipped his sickle into the air and dexterously caught the pendant's chain around his arm, before reclaiming the falling sickle as it fell.

A familiar series of soft popping noises rang out a moment later, and missiles of silvery starlight soared over Rogue's head, striking the phantom, who reeled back, seemingly in pain. Rogue spun, startled, to find one of the wisps from the Revenant Copse floating behind him. Bolts of scintillating light swirled forward, slamming into the phantom. The bolts seemed to do little lasting harm to the persistent juggernaut, though, and the phantom pressed on, ignoring the wisp and trying to strike at Rogue once more.

Emboldened by the presence of a new, if mysterious, ally, Rogue pressed on, slamming the sickle into the phantom repeatedly from every opening he could find. At last, the elongated blade bit deep into one of the seams of the phantom's armor.

Bit deep and did nothing. The phantom shrugged off the attack and nearly wrenched the weapon from Rogue's grip, as the warrior desperately wiggled the weapon loose before diving aside once more. "How do I hurt you?" Rogue muttered. Now that he had found a comfortable rhythm, he was confident that he could safely avoid the phantom's predictable attacks. It only remained to learn how to destroy this foe before it tired him out.

But there were no weaknesses to be found. With a heavy sigh, Rogue continued to bludgeon the creature with the sickle. At least the phantom was showing a few scratches now from his repeated attacks, but if he was waiting for those minor dents and scrapes to build up into a crippling wound, this would be a trying battle indeed. Again and again, the sickle and the barrage of starlight bolts struck the phantom. And still the phantom continued its relentless assault, despite the cracks that began to show.

Though the phantom didn't slow or weaken, the visible signs of damage were enough to spur Rogue and his unexpected ally on. Still, Rogue remained wary, and when blue flames began to pour forth from the cracks in the armor, coating the rest of the phantom's body, Rogue retreated immediately, uncertain of how to proceed.

The phantom showed no hesitance, and no surprise, as it pressed its advantage. Gouts of blue flames burst forth repeatedly, erupting from the armor at awkward angles. While the wisp continued to fire its magic into the phantom, Rogue cautiously kept himself at a safe distance from the burning monster.

After several seconds, the silver armor began to shine, and the flames grew brighter. Rogue's caution proved wise a moment later, as with a great flash of light and cracking sound, the sapphire flames burst outward, and the phantom's armor shattered, shooting fragments of molten silver out in an explosive shower. Rogue threw himself flat against the meadow, shielding his face from the fragments. He bit back a cry as a shard of the scalding metal struck him in the back.

When Rogue staggered to his feet moments later, all that remained of his foe was the bits of silver debris scattered around the meadow. The wisp, possibly recognizing that it was no longer needed, simply faded from sight.

* * *

><p>Rogue tried his best to bite back the pain as he forced his dislocated arm back into its socket, but an agonized grunt escaped despite his efforts.<p>

"Rogue!" Lucina cried out, overhearing him as she turned around the trees bordering the forest path. A smile of relief found its way onto her face a moment later when she saw that the young warrior was still standing. Standing beside her, Severa looked equally relieved to find their lost companion alive and relatively intact.

Rogue turned upon hearing the familiar voice, but his words of greeting died in this throat, and he froze, his eyes widening, when he saw the Laguz following Lucina and Severa.

Though her two companions had already told her Rogue was alive, seeing him safe and relatively unharmed still brought Iris much relief, and Iris rushed toward her friend, even shape-shifting to fly across the rest of the clearing more quickly. "Rogue!" she cried, as she reverted to her human form a few feet away from him.

"I-Iris?" Rogue stammered.

Emotion overcame the Laguz girl, and she embraced her friend, laughing and crying at the same time, as the joy of seeing Rogue alive and the weight of losing her parents and the rest of her friends pressed upon her. "You're alive," she mumbled, her words barely comprehensible.

"I'm fine," Rogue echoed hoarsely. "What about you? How did you escape? Did anyone else make it out with you?"

Iris shook her head slightly, but even as Rogue asked, he had already realized the truth, for now he remembered that the soldiers had come at night. The timing was fortunate for Iris, who could transform into a bat and take cover in the dark forests, but less so for the rest of the villagers. "Rogue… they killed…" Iris began, but her voice seized up as she began to speak.

As Iris tried to complete the thought, she tensed up, and Rogue could sense her distress. "I know," he said reassuringly, not needing her to elaborate further.

Iris took a step back and took a deep breath. "Lily… Rogue, Lily's dead."

Rogue flinched. "I know," he repeated. "I… I saw her."

"I'm sorry," Iris whispered, tears streaming down her face as she averted her gaze. She couldn't help it, for she knew how close Rogue and Lily were, and didn't think she could bear to see his grief.

"There was nothing you could do," Rogue assured. His tone remained calm, as he considered the mysterious enemy he had just battled, and the strength of the force that had come to the Snowflake Forest. For two years, he had been hoping to shed some light on his own mysterious past. Ever since he had found Iris in the ancient temple, he had wondered about her origin, as well. Now, in a matter of days, he had found many of the long sought-after answers.

Those answers had turned his life upside down. Now that he had his answers, Rogue realized he was truly lost. He looked to the southern road and noted the tracks of the Redeemers and their supply carts. He could follow them easily enough, but it seemed as if there was hardly reason to.

"Rogue, we ran into a handful of those soldiers, just over there in the other meadow. They didn't seem interested in talking, though," Severa said, though she spoke quietly, as if unsure of whether it was right for her to interrupt.

"Their companions left ahead of them, it seems," Rogue replied quietly, indicating the road and the marks of recent passage.

"Are you planning to follow them?" Lucina asked, glancing at Severa. Given the events happening around them, Lucina didn't feel quite comfortable abandoning their new companions. Still, she and Severa had come to Tellius with their own quest. If they were to set off in the wrong direction, their search for Morgan and Owain could become even more difficult. Severa returned her questioning look uneasily, and Lucina knew that her friend shared her sentiments and doubts.

"Perhaps," Rogue said, noncommittally. "The soldiers didn't say much… but I found some of my answers, anyways. I think I owe you all an explanation, first," he added, gesturing toward an empty fire pit ringed by wooden benches.

* * *

><p>"So… you believe you really <em>are<em> this Tantalus person," Severa said, as Rogue finished relaying his discovery in the Revenant Copse and his encounter with the Redeemers.

"The Redeemer I spoke to decided I wasn't, since I didn't know anything about them. But I don't remember anything from before my arrival in Silent Grove," Rogue said with a half-hearted shrug. "It fits. I was one of them, until I betrayed them, somehow. Whatever I did must have cost me my memories, too."

"That still leaves quite a few questions unanswered," Lucina noted.

"And Iris's people are gone?" Severa asked, turning to the Laguz, who had remained silent throughout her friend's story.

"As far as I know," Rogue said, frowning and looking at Iris apologetically. "A month or two after I started living in Silent Grove, after I encountered eidolons for the first time I could remember, I went through some old books, trying to learn more about them and spirit charmers. That's where I first heard of the dire eidolons. One of the books mentioned Extinction. Supposedly, it once razed a path from here all the way to the kingdom of Daein, in the east. The Daein army was ready for it, though, and had already called to their allies for help. Together, they were able to drive Extinction from their lands, before chasing it all the way back here and destroying it."

"Which means the bat Laguz guessed correctly when they wrote that letter for you," Lucina said thoughtfully. "They knew they weren't able to vanquish Extinction alone."

"But Beorc and Laguz aren't fighting anymore, right? They haven't been for hundreds of years," Severa noted.

Rogue nodded. "I wonder if things would have turned out differently if the bat Laguz knew the world had changed," Rogue said sadly.

"So… what do we do now?" Iris asked, her first words since Rogue had begun his story. Though learning the fate of her family had come as a blow, she was not as concerned as Rogue would have expected. Their present predicament was far more pressing.

Rogue sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "This was all my fault to begin with. And next time I cross paths with the Redeemers, I might not be so lucky. None of them recognized me this time, but I bet their Lady Medea will know who I am right away."

"Who are these Redeemers, anyways?" Lucina asked.

"I'm not sure. I've never heard of them before today," Rogue said. After a moment, he added, "Ruthless killers ready to destroy anything and anyone that crosses their paths, it seems. So at the very least, I should probably find another course, away from everyone else. I can't let anyone else suffer the same fate as Silent Grove because of me."

Severa rolled her eyes. "That's not what Iris was asking, Rogue. Forget about the danger, and forget about being stupidly noble. What do you plan to do now, knowing what you do?"

"What _can_ I do?" Rogue retorted bitterly. "I'm only one man. And apparently, I _used to be one of them_. I don't even know why I left them. For all I know, I could've been too violent for their tastes."

"I don't believe that," Iris said immediately. "Rogue, you're not like them!"

Rogue laughed sadly. "Iris, I killed four of them without even really giving it a thought, when they confronted me as I returned to Silent Grove. And here, in Wilderness's Edge, I was able to defeat that strange soldier in silver armor, too. Even without my memories, I've retained the instincts of a warrior of some sort or another, at least."

"So?" Iris asked. "There's plenty of people out there trained to fight. Look at Lucina and Severa, even. Do you think they're heartless killers too, just because they know how to use weapons well?"

"It's not just that," Rogue said, although his words grew fainter as he struggled to adequately voice his doubts.

"Rogue, do you really plan to spend the rest of your life wondering just how horrible of a person you _used_ to be? Stop worrying about who you once were, and start trying to decide who you want to be _now_," Severa insisted.

"Easy for you to say," Rogue shot back angrily.

"Rogue, do you remember me mentioning a friend who I thought was a bit like you?" Lucina began. Severa looked at her oddly, and Lucina shot her a contrite look. Severa shook her head, implicitly agreeing that it would probably be safe to share their story with their new companions. Though Rogue and Iris noted the silent exchange, neither interrupted, and Lucina, emboldened by her friend's approval, continued. "Severa and I come from the faraway continent of Ylisse, and call its largest kingdom, which shares the continent's name, our home."

"You weren't kidding when you said you weren't for around here, were you?" Rogue remarked dryly. "I didn't know there were other continents. According to the legends, the rest of the world was lost in the Great Flood."

Lucina shook her head, smiling uneasily. "There's definitely at least two that I know of, but they're nowhere near here. Anyways, like I said before, my friend, Robin, was a lot like you. Our kingdom's ruler, Exalt Chrom, found him in the middle of nowhere, without his memories. They became friends, and Robin offered his help in keeping the kingdom safe. A series of wars began, but Robin was a capable fighter and an extremely gifted tactician, and with his help, things were never truly as bad as they could have been."

"It sounds like you were lucky to have found him," Iris commented.

"Indeed," Lucina agreed. "But later, we learned that Robin was descended from the Grimleal, worshippers of the fell dragon, Grima. A thousand years ago, Grima tried to conquer Ylisse, and was defeated and sealed away. The Grimleal spent centuries trying to free him and return him to our world, and had finally found a way to resurrect their master. We also discovered that due to Robin's heritage, the Grimleal could somehow control him and use him against us. Robin was so desperate to stop the Grimleal that he took his own life, in an attempt to protect his friends and family."

Rogue winced. "I guess that's one way to solve the problem."

"No, it wasn't," Severa said fiercely. "It was a stupid idea, and it went all wrong, anyways."

Lucina nodded. "At it turns out, Robin wasn't a normal human. The Grimleal intended him to be a human host for the fell dragon. They succeeded in resurrecting Grima, after all, and in the process, Grima also resurrected and possessed Robin. But Robin was stronger than Grima expected. During our final battle with Grima, Robin managed to break free long enough to turn Grima's power against himself, and destroy the fell dragon permanently."

"That's your idea of going all wrong?" Rogue asked Severa, an incredulous look on his face.

"He could've just stuck with us all along," Severa said hotly. "Instead, he put his family through hell because he doubted himself."

"And that's the point of this story," Lucina continued, ignoring the exchange. "In the end, it didn't matter who or what Robin used to be, because he didn't let that define his future for him. He made his own choices. Some good, some bad. But everything he did was in order to create the future he wanted to see."

"And he created it, and lived happily ever after," Rogue finished, shaking his head gloomily. "It's a nice story, Lucina. But somehow, I don't think it'll be that easy."

"Where did you possibly get the idea that it was _easy_?" Severa demanded. "Things were a huge mess. Hundreds of thousands of people died in the wars, and it was full of close calls for us. But that's the way it is. When someone's threatening your future, whether it's an overgrown lizard suffering from delusions of grandeur or brigands masquerading as mysterious soldiers, you have to make your stand."

"And what am I standing for?" Rogue asked sarcastically. "Everyone I know, other than Iris, is gone."

"Harmony may still be alive," Iris interrupted. "She wasn't in the village when the Redeemers arrived."

"Harmony? The merchant? She should be," Lucina confirmed. "Severa and I met her as we were heading towards Silent Grove."

"Great. A traveling merchant who I will probably never see again, and a friend who I was supposed to protect, but instead nearly dragged to her death," Rogue summarized. "If that's what I'm supposed to be thinking about, then I was right all along – I should be heading off on my own, before anyone else gets caught up in my mess."

"That's a _brilliant_ plan," Severa scoffed. "Instead of protecting your friend, abandon her because she _might_ get hurt if she stays with you. Oh, and let's not forget she's supposedly the only one of her kind left, because her people were feared and driven away from the rest of society. Have you even considered how _she_ feels about this?"

"The world is different now," Rogue argued weakly. Still, the truth of Severa's words hit Rogue hard, and he swallowed and fell silent a moment later, looking at Iris pleadingly. Iris's tender expression spoke her thoughts clearly enough.

"Rogue, I know you're worried for your friend, and you can't stand the idea of anyone else getting hurt because of you," Lucina said. "But running away only makes things worse. Listen to Severa. She's been through this before."

Rogue looked at Lucina questioningly, then turned his gaze to Severa. "Robin was my father," Severa explained bluntly. "He was thinking the same thing I'm guessing you are. He was worried that if the Grimleal seized him, he could hurt Chrom, or my mother, or my sister and I. He convinced himself it was for our sake."

"But… he came back, right?" Iris asked.

"Miraculously, yes," Lucina said. "But not for some time, and not of his own choosing. I saw what Robin's choice did to his family, and to my father, Chrom, who was Robin's best friend. You can't do that to Iris."

"Chrom? The ruler you mentioned earlier? You're a princess?" Iris asked, astonished.

Rogue didn't seem too impressed by the revelation. "It's not the same. I'm not planning on killing myself," Rogue replied irritably.

"Aren't you?" Severa challenged. "You're going off alone, and pushing away the last person that matters to you."

"I… I just want to keep you safe," Rogue whispered, turning to Iris. "When I couldn't fight my way past the soldiers, I thought I lost you. And when I made it here, and learned that it was all my fault…"

"It wasn't your fault," Iris insisted. "You didn't know the soldiers would come. And besides, everyone in the village loved you! You were the only one who ever cared who you used to be. To the rest of us, you were our friend, and that was all that mattered."

"But what if they come back for me?" Rogue protested.

"Then we'll hide," Iris said simply. "I don't have anywhere else to go, Rogue. I don't mind if we have to wander from place to place, just to keep ahead of them. I'd rather do that than try to find a new home on my own."

Rogue sighed and glanced at Severa and Lucina. Both of his newest companions nodded encouragingly. "Alright then, Iris," Rogue said. "Wherever we're going now, we'll go together. Happy?"

Iris nodded, smiling slightly despite the grim mood.

"Where are you headed, then?" Lucina asked.

Rogue shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe we could travel west, deeper into Crimea. Melior, perhaps. I can't remember setting foot beyond the Snowflake Forest, but according to the stories, Crimea was the first of the Beorc kingdoms to fully accept Laguz. I don't think we'll find too much trouble in any of the Beorc kingdoms, but Crimea's probably the safest choice."

Severa frowned, an expression of concern that Lucina did not miss. "What's wrong, Sev?" Lucina urged.

"I'm not sure hiding is the best idea," Severa said, shaking her head. "Rogue, it's been two years, right? If the Redeemers spent two years searching for you, then they probably won't give up so easily. It sounds like you two were lucky this time, you because you were out of the village, and Iris because the soldiers came at night. On top of that, it seems any of the soldiers who would have truly recognized you were gone by the time we arrived here in Wilderness's Edge."

"You think they'll continue to pursue me," Rogue reasoned, with a sigh.

"It seems likely," Severa said with a shrug. "And if they found you once, out here in the middle of nowhere, I'm not sure any place will really be safe."

"What would you suggest, then?" Lucina asked.

"I don't know," Severa admitted. "I wish Dad or Morgan were here. They would know what to do."

"Rogue, maybe you could appeal to one of the regents of Crimea for help," Lucina suggested.

Severa shook her head immediately. "That might not be safe, either," she said quickly. "We don't know anything about these Redeemers. For all we know, they could be working for one of the local regents. They're dressed as soldiers, after all."

"Then what?" Rogue asked, frustrated, for he had no words to refute her reasoning.

"We'll need to learn more about these Redeemers," Severa decided thoughtfully. "Dad always insists that having good information is crucial to coming up with a good plan."

Rogue and Lucina both glanced uneasily at the tracks the Redeemers had left. "There's only one reliable way for us to learn more, though," Rogue pointed out. "And it's definitely not going to be safe."

"Well… we're coming from the one direction they won't be looking, aren't we?" Lucina asked hopefully. "They wouldn't have left if they thought you were still here. They won't be looking in this direction, at least for now."

"They won't?" Iris asked doubtfully.

"Who knows?" Severa said, cringing. Lucina's interpretation was excessively and foolishly optimistic, if not downright wrong. At the very least, the soldiers would still be awaiting the return of their companions. But she was reluctant to shoot the plan down outright, as she didn't have any better ideas to offer.

"So we follow the Redeemers, at least long enough to learn who they really are and what they're after," Rogue summarized. He turned to Iris. "Iris… are you sure you want to follow? It might be safer if we separate for now. I can come find you after I've sorted this out."

"I'm not staying behind," Iris said insistently, and Rogue let the matter drop, knowing that he wasn't about to convince her otherwise.

He turned to Lucina and Severa instead. "Thank you. I don't know how I can ever repay you for finding Iris and keeping her safe. I know you have your own reasons for traveling so far from home, so before we depart, is there any help we can offer you?"

The two Ylisseans looked at one another, each hoping the other would answer. Finally, Severa turned back to Iris and Rogue. "We came here to find my sister, Morgan, and Lucina's cousin, Owain," Severa explained. "A strange monster attacked one of our kingdom's neighbors, and they came to Tellius to learn more about it. The monster seems to be connected to the eidolons." Briefly, she and Lucina described the encounter with the gigantic cetacean creature. Rogue's expression grew grimmer with each detail.

"It could be another of the dire eidolons," Rogue said. "Though dire eidolons are supposed to be rare; Extinction's rampage, over two hundred years ago, was the most recent occurrence that I know of… and now we know that Extinction's appearance wasn't a natural occurrence, either." He stared blankly into the forest. "Come to think of it, the books I read were all decades old. A dire eidolon could very well have risen in the past few year. Living here in Silent Grove, neither Iris nor I would have heard anything about it."

"To be honest, we don't even know where to begin our search," Severa admitted. "But if eidolons have really become more common around Tellius lately, then Morgan and Owain must have noticed, too. I think our best chance of finding them is to follow the same trail, and try to learn more about the eidolons ourselves."

"Both Crimea, and our neighbor, Daein, have open archives in their capital cities," Rogue suggested. "But as far as I know, no one is sure why so many eidolons have appeared in the recent years."

"The Redeemers might," Lucina said, and both Iris and Rogue turned to her, surprised.

Severa nodded. "You mentioned that spirit charmers can control eidolons… that means they're connected somehow, right? And there are definitely more spirit charmers affiliated with the Redeemers, since they appear to be working alongside the eidolons. Would you mind if we followed you? If we're all searching for answers, maybe we'll find them together."

Having seen the two Ylisseans fight, Rogue pounced upon the offer eagerly. At the very least, their presence would ease his concerns for Iris considerably. "We'd love to have you along," he agreed immediately, as Iris nodded her agreement as well.

"Let's get going then," Lucina said, gesturing towards the road ahead. "Before the night winds down."


	12. Part Three: Id Purpose

**~ Part Three ~**

**Id Purpose**

_"He who knows himself and his enemy will always find the road to victory. He who knows only himself, but not his enemy, can never truly be certain of where his path leads. He who knows neither himself nor his enemy is doomed to defeat."_

_It seems to be a pretty old and well-known saying. I found this concept, or some version of it, in at least seven different texts. Dad recites it quite often, too. I guess it makes sense – the key to any problem is a proper understanding of the situation._

_Dad once told me about their mission to save Uncle Chrom's sister, Exalt Emmeryn. About how much time and effort went into making the perfect plans, and to making sure each and every ally was in exactly the right position, at the right moment. And how, after all of that, their mission still ended in failure. It sounds awful. I'm almost glad I wasn't there… but if I was, could I have made a difference? Probably not… Dad was there, after all, and he already did everything he could._

_But on that day, Dad says he learned something pretty important. From Mom, as it turns out. According to him, when he was trying to cope with their defeat, Mom went and found him, and assured him that everyone believed he had done everything he could have, and that no one blamed him. Mom smiled and shook her head when I told her what Dad said – apparently, Dad did the same thing for her, the first day they met. He just didn't quite understand just the truth of it until his first real defeat as the Shepherds' tactician._

_But when Exalt Emmeryn died, Dad learned that, no matter how much we wish otherwise, we have our limits. Sometimes, even giving it your all isn't going to be enough. On the other hand, a lot of the Shepherds either never learned that lesson, or refused to accept it. Uncle Chrom still firmly believes that one can achieve anything by simply trying hard enough. Lucina is much the same. It's a good way to look at life, but it can also be kind of sad. Because, it means, whenever anything goes wrong, the sting of defeat is made all the worse by the weight of shame._

_Still, there's a seed of truth in that way of thinking. In every scenario, we're presented with many choices. And even if there's no perfect solution, like there is for a puzzle or riddle, there's a wide range of outcomes. And even if we might never know what all the possible outcomes were, we can still push ourselves toward an outcome that we prefer._

_That's the difference between tacticians and leaders. People like Uncle Chrom and Lucina are meant to lead, and they push us, and themselves, as hard as they can. They seek perfection from within, and inspire the same within their allies, so that we reach our limits and surpass them. On the other hand, Dad's responsibility is to keep those limits in mind. Maybe he'd test them, every now and then. But if you left it all the decisions to Uncle Chrom, they probably would've marched off straight to the heart of Valm to face Emperor Walhart head-on during the Valmese War. That would've ended pretty badly. While Uncle Chrom's role was to convince his friends that they can truly accomplish anything, Dad's role was to make sure they were using their considerable strength wisely._

_Knowing yourself is half the battle. Even though it sounds easy, it really isn't. It is extremely easy to overestimate yourself, and bite off more than you can chew. It's just as easy to underestimate yourself and act too cautiously, letting opportunity slip beyond your reach. But still, it's only _half_ of the metaphorical road to victory._

_The other half is knowing your enemy. That's usually even more difficult, because when it comes to knowing yourself, we subconsciously know a lot already that we take for granted. That's usually not true when it comes to your opponent._

_When Exalt Emmeryn died, it was because Aversa had one more trick up her sleeve that the Shepherds didn't know about. If Dad had known Aversa was a Grimleal, and that the risen were a possible threat, the battle might have been very different. In contrast, when Lucina and I defeated Aversa, it was the same situation, only in reverse. Aversa never expected me to be able to summon an ally from across the battlefield the way I did._

_But knowing your enemy is about more than tricks and hidden gambits. Take the Second Plegian War, for example. Ylisse won that war, because we learned, thanks to Exalt Emmeryn, that Plegia didn't have to lose. What was once a war between kingdoms became a war of ideals, instead, and Dad quickly changed our plans to slow down the Plegian armies just long enough for us to defeat bloodthirsty and vindictive King Gangrel._

_In a way, motivation is every bit as important as physical strength and limitations. That's where some tacticians fall short. When you begin to quantify everything, you miss out on half the story. When you start thinking about your allies as numbers, comparing their skills and relative strength to your other resources, you begin to lose touch with who they are, and how that affects the choices they make. When you think of your army as a statistic, instead of the many individual people fighting for a common cause, and when you start thinking of morale as a resource, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise and rude awakening._

_Which brings me to… purpose. Because even when there's no war, these principles aren't solely dedicated to war – they're related to approaching problems. Thankfully, there's no shortage of problems in our lives… they would be pretty boring, otherwise, wouldn't they?_

_I know my own purpose. I'm here to find Owain. I'm here to make sure my friend makes it home, safe and sound. And if I can find some way to convince Mom not to chain me to my bed when I get home, that would be great, too._

_In a way, Owain is my "opponent" here, since I'm here searching for him. I don't really know what he's still doing here. Maybe he wants to make his mark by finding and destroying that giant sea monster, though I don't really think there's any way he can do that on his own. Or maybe he's just lost. There's not much I can do about that right now. All I can do is keep in mind that he might not be ready to come home when I find him, and might need some persuading. I guess if he's on to something promising, I could lend a hand. Or maybe we can just nab him and tie him up in the cabin, if he's being unreasonable. We could drag him home and let Princess Lissa deal with him… or Severa._

_Priam made his intent pretty clear when he asked to come along. It sounds like, growing up in the shadow of his ancestor, he's hungry to prove himself. It's not fame he's after; there's no renown in chasing down a crazy prince and bringing him home. But although he always seems to act as if it doesn't matter that he's a descendant of the Radiant Hero, I can see the truth in his training, and hear it in his philosophical remarks. It's not easy growing up in a grand shadow; I still often worry that I'll disappoint Mom and Dad, and I know Severa feels the same way, even if we both know that it's silly._

_Maybe… it's Soren. Soren is more than just a friend of a distant ancestor to Priam. When Soren berated him back in Azure Pyre, Priam defiantly ignored him, but I could see a mixture of pain, disappointment, and shame in his eyes. It was as if Priam had decided firmly that Soren was wrong, but felt guilty in coming to that decision. And when they talk, even though it's the casual talk of friends, Priam always seems to afford Soren a certain measure of respect. I think Priam wants to prove himself, not to the world, but to Soren._

_It makes me sad to think that Soren doesn't seem to care. Soren looks at Priam like he looks at me, or anyone or anything else: with indifference, or cool disdain. He criticizes weakness when he sees it, and he never hesitates to be blunt. And Soren doesn't really express his approval very well, if he even approves of anything. Nothing seems to impress him, and I've never seen anything remotely encouraging from him, save for a few dry quips or an abrupt nod._

_I thought to mention it to Soren. But it won't do any good – he'll just roll his eyes and ignore me, if I'm lucky. If I'm unlucky, he'll make some scathing remarks about how respect and encouragement has to be earned instead, and he won't shy to do so right in front of Priam. He's here because he feels he's obligated to be here, and that's the end of it. He offers Priam no affection, no friendship, and no emotional connection at all. I know it's not meant to be personal. At this point, it feels like Soren is completely detached from… well, everything._

_The funny thing about purpose is that it can change. Every day, our lives change a little bit, and our perspective on life will shift a little bit, too. I know what it's like to truly look up to someone, to desperately search for that person's approval, and I'm lucky enough to have three such people in my life now. Mom, Dad, and Severa are always there for me when I need them._

_But for Priam's sake, I hope he finds a new purpose, for if he continues to live his life in hopes of impressing Soren, I fear he'll live the rest of his life disappointed._

_As for Soren… maybe his life has been run dry. Is it really such a good thing, to live for hundreds of years? To watch the world pass by around you? Lady Tiki seemed pretty distant from the rest of the world, too. Nowi immersed herself in our world a little better, but she did so by acting like a child, pretending to be carefree and allowing herself to delight in the smallest joys._

_Maybe the best thing for Soren would be to find a new perspective on life, too._


	13. Chapter 8

**~ Chapter 8 ~**

To Lucina's surprise, by the third day, she and Severa had already grown accustomed to traveling by night. The first night, they had stumbled their way through the forest, following Iris's lead for the most part. Iris had seemed perfectly comfortable, which was more or less to be expected from a woman with bat-like characteristics. But when they departed from the Snowflake Forest, Rogue proved to be nearly as comfortable as Iris under the starry night sky.

"On the surface, you'll rarely, if ever, encounter absolute darkness," Rogue had explained, when he shot down Severa's suggestion of keeping a torch lit as they traveled. "Iris's eyes are more sensitive to the light than ours, but your eyes will adjust soon enough."

Though at first it was a chore just to keep from tripping over small pebbles and twigs, Lucina and Severa soon realized that Rogue was right. The moon and stars, drifting by overhead, shined more brightly than they had imagined, and once their eyes had adjusted, it wasn't much different than traveling by day.

The lack of light also seemed to sharpen their other senses. Lucina was accustomed to thinking that the world went to sleep after dark fell, but that misconception fell away easily when they heard the persistent chirping of crickets, the flapping wings of nighthawks, and the howling of wolves. Though she had known of the nocturnal animals, hearing the seemingly endless chorus of the night was enough to show her what felt like an entirely new side of the world they lived in. The scent of grass and dirt, and the aroma of summer wildflowers permeated the air, as if desperate to be recognized even when they weren't graced by the light of the celestial bodies above.

* * *

><p>"How long did it take you to grow used to traveling at night?" Severa asked Rogue curiously. During the first two nights, realizing that the memories of recent losses were still raw, Lucina and Severa hadn't pressed their new companions about their lives in Silent Grove, and instead shared their own stories of the Shepherds, both before and after Grima's defeat. They agreed implicitly and tactfully to leave the time travel business unspoken, for now, and as a result, they were running out of stories to tell.<p>

Rogue shrugged. "I've always been used to wandering by night, to be honest. I would often sleep through the morning, and into the afternoon, and work through the evenings. That way, the sun wouldn't be beaming down on me, or shining into my eyes while I worked."

"Now that you mention it, it does seem like it would be easier," Lucina said, as she remembered that she and her friends often preferred to train early in the mornings for the same reason. "It almost seems odd that we humans normally prefer to sleep through the night."

"I don't know," Iris mused, eyeing Rogue playfully. "Maybe you've grown used to it, but Beorc eyes still aren't entirely adept at night. Just ask Rogue about the time he stumbled off a cliff."

Rogue groaned. "That has nothing to do with light. I wasn't paying attention, that's all."

"Sure," Iris giggled, amused by his exasperation.

Rogue rolled his eyes. "To be fair, though, not all Beorc acclimate themselves to the darkness as easily as the three of us. Lily insisted on tagging along with us one night, and she tripped over practically everything in our path."

"And several things that weren't in our path," Iris chimed in. "Father was the same way. I offered to go fetch some herbs for Mother one night, and Father insisted on following me. But he gave up less than a minute after we reached the mountain path."

"That's because you flew up the cliff," Rogue reminded. "Jake wasn't really one for climbing."

"Oh right," Iris said. She wavered uncomfortably as other memories followed the fonder recollections.

Seeing her discomfort, Lucina was quick to change the subject. "Have either of you met any other Laguz?"

"I haven't," Iris answered, glancing at Rogue.

"I met a few merchants once, who had stopped in Wilderness's Edge on their way to Daein," Rogue said. "There were four of them. They came from Gallia, southwest of Crimea."

"What were they like?" Severa asked curiously. Though Tellius was supposedly half-populated by the Laguz, the only Laguz she and Lucina had met so far was Iris, who was clearly not the norm for Laguz.

"Like anyone else, really," Rogue answered simply. "They had the ears and tails of cats, but other than that, they weren't really that different from anyone else I've known. I've read some old stories that indicated Beorc and Laguz used to get along rather poorly, but they seemed friendly enough. They made a point of calling me a Beorc, though, and when I asked about it, they explained that to the Laguz, calling someone 'human' is actually an insult."

"Weird," Severa commented. "Did you see them transform?"

"Nope," Rogue replied, shaking his head.

"Transforming can be a little bit tiresome," Iris explained. "So we don't transform unless we have to, usually. Or I don't, at least."

"Most Laguz remain too proud to carry weapons," Rogue added. "And their natural weapons are usually enough, anyways. Their transformations _are_ their weapons, in a sense. From what I've heard, some Laguz transform simply because they enjoy being in their animal forms, but most transform only when necessary."

"Your claws didn't really seem long enough to be dangerous, though," Lucina remarked, eyeing Iris.

"Umm… I've never tried to fight," Iris admitted. "I just transform when I want to fly more quickly."

"Most Laguz remain pretty much the same size, or grow larger, when they transform," Rogue said. "Iris actually shrinks a bit when she transforms, which is unique among Laguz from what I've read."

Severa glanced at the Laguz thoughtfully. "Rogue, did you find any weapons in the Revenant Copse?" she asked.

Rogue swallowed as he tried to picture the gruesome sight once more. For several moments, all he could see were the bones, stripped clean over the years, the skulls grinning eerily at him from all around the dark forest meadow. "No weapons," he finally said. "Not that I could see, anyways. Other than the remains and some furniture, all I found was the letter." Then, he realized that that wasn't quite true. "The letter, a key to the door we already opened, and this," Rogue added, as he fished the silver pendant from his pocket.

Severa's eyes widened upon seeing it, and Lucina couldn't help but laugh at the sparkling gleam in her best friend's eyes.

"Moonstone, I think," Rogue described, as he held it up for the others to get a closer to look. He then passed the pendant to Iris. "I think you should have this, Iris."

"They probably left it for you, if they placed it alongside the key," Iris argued.

Rogue shook his head, smiling. "I don't exactly wear a lot of jewelry, Iris. If it was truly meant for me, they wouldn't object to me returning it to you." He held the pendant out to her again, and this time, Iris reluctantly accepted it, carefully tying it around her neck.

"It looks great on you," Severa said, quite liking the contrast between the silver, the white gemstone with faint swirls of blue, and the Laguz's dark hair.

"Really?" Iris asked, blushing slightly. "Thank you, Severa." As she looked at the pendant again, she winced, thinking of the one trinket she had brought from Silent Grove: a lovely platinum ring, crested by a small moonstone that looked much like the jewel in the pendant Rogue had given her.

Iris could guess who the ring was for easily enough. Lily had been Rogue's best friend ever since she had found him and invited him to stay in Silent Grove, and the two were fairly close. It had been heart-wrenching to find the ring, the promise of such a beautiful future, mere feet away from Lily's rapidly-cooling body.

The soldiers had returned moments later, and Iris had fled along the mountain path, three of the armored men in pursuit. She didn't know why she retrieved the ring before leaving. Something for Rogue to remember Lily by, perhaps? Or would the sight of it only bring her friend more grief? Still, she had kept the ring, and was wondering when, if ever, she could return it to Rogue.

Maybe some things were better left behind.

* * *

><p>"Iris, what's that?" Lucina asked, pointing upward as she spotted a shadow, silhouetted by the moon. At their distance, it was impossible for Lucina, Severa, or even Rogue to get a clear look, and she could only hope that Iris would be able to tell if it were anything dangerous.<p>

Iris looked up and saw the indicated object immediately. She pursed her lips as she watched it crawl lazily across the sky. There were several similar objects drifting behind it, too, but they were too far for her to make them out in any great detail. "I'm not sure," Iris admitted after several moments of awkward silence. Severa and Rogue, too, were eyeing them curiously.

"They look a little ominous," Severa said.

"They're not birds," Rogue decided, after a moment. "Their movement patterns are a little odd to be birds. They remind me of insects, almost, but there's no way we would be able to make out insects from this distance."

"Laguz?" Lucina guessed, and Severa cringed, not wanting to meet Laguz that could transform into giant bugs.

"There aren't any insect Laguz, are there?" Iris asked Rogue.

Rogue shook his head. "Not that I've heard of. Then again, the books never spoke of any bat Laguz, either."

"They're descending!" Iris said suddenly, and the rest swiveled around to watch as they seemed to plummet from the sky.

Lucina eyed their course warily, until she realized their destination. "Look! There's a village down there! They must be heading towards it!"

"Damn!" Severa said, as she marked their course herself and came to the same conclusion. "Lucy, we should go take a look, just in case."

Lucina agreed readily, and glanced at Rogue. "Rogue, it might be safer for you and Iris to stay here."

Rogue shook his head. "No way. You two are new to these parts. Besides, it looks like a small fishing village, with the lake right beside it, so there shouldn't be any danger from the residents."

"But what about Iris?" Severa asked, turning to their fourth companion.

"I'll be fine," Iris said quickly, clearly not wanting to be left behind. "I can keep myself away from danger easily enough at night."

"Alright. But be careful. Let's go," Lucina said, and she set off, the other three following swiftly.

* * *

><p>As they approached the village, their worst fears were confirmed. The creatures resembled large moths, with insectoid bodies nearly four feet long, but where there should have been a head, there was instead a fanged, but otherwise humanoid skull. Wide, partially translucent, scaly wings beat furiously behind each creature, keeping it aloft. But what was most disconcerting was the inky black color of their bodies and skulls, and the golden eyes of eidolons, peering out from their eye sockets.<p>

"There's dozens of them!" Severa exclaimed, as they continued to sprint towards the village, which remained several hundred feet away.

"Eidolon fliers," Rogue said, recognizing them immediately. "But I've never seen so many at once. Be careful; they're fast."

The eidolons took no heed of the approaching newcomers, and continued buzzing through the village. Their wings were evidently far sturdier than typical insect wings, and some of the eidolons began tearing at the buildings. Others sunk their razor sharp fangs straight through bricks and wooden beams before thrashing wildly, shredding through the sturdy structures with surprising ease.

The village came awake then, and some poured out into the streets in panic, weapons drawn. But for the most part, the villagers were comprised of simple fishermen and farmers, and their families. A few were armed with rusty swords, some with hatchets and clubs, and others with whatever was handy: broken bottles, broomsticks, wooden table legs, or pitchforks. The crudely armed civilians were no match for the deadly fiends, and in only seconds, most of the defenders were scattered, and the cobblestone roads were splashed crimson.

Then some of the eidolons spotted Lucina, leading the way toward the village, and swooped to confront them. Falchion flashed through the air, neatly severing one flier in half as it lunged toward Lucina headfirst, with its jaw stretched wide. Behind the princess, Iris wasted no time in transforming and retreating a few steps, trying to stay clear of the mayhem.

Of their group, Rogue had the most experience with these airborne foes. He had never fought more than a handful at once, but thankfully, only six of them had approached them so far, and Lucina had already destroyed one. If they were fortunate enough to avoid fighting more than half a dozen at once, this battle would be a lot easier than it looked from afar. He thrust the head of his sickle towards the nearest foe, driving it back. Predictably, the eidolon soared up, out of his reach. Expecting it to turn and dive sideways, wing extended, Rogue eyed the eidolon cautiously, preparing to shuffle aside. The flier spun to the right, and Rogue sidestepped to the left immediately. As the flier dove pass him, Rogue's sickle ripped into the eidolon's skull, the force of his blow smashing the creature into the ground.

At the same time, Severa approached the next two, with none of Rogue's subtlety. Passion had longer reach than the eidolons' wings, giving her all the time she needed. The eidolons lashed out at her immediately, one with its wings, and one with its fangs. Severa retreated a step as she intercepted the first one with her lance. As the second flier spiraled around its dying companion, Severa slashed toward it, slamming the first flier into the second. The sharp movement dislodged the first eidolon, and both eidolons began burning away.

While the three fighters were contending with the first four, the other two flew past them, flying straight toward Iris. Both Lucina and Rogue were quick to react, and the two crumpled to the ground, writhing as they slowly disintegrated. Iris had instinctively retreated anyways, a third eidolon swooped down upon her, too far away for the others to intercept it. "Iris!" Rogue shouted out.

Hearing his warning, Iris dove away, but the eidolon wasn't far behind. Her friends sprinted toward her, desperately trying to reach her in time.

A swirl of light announced the presence of another ally. A glowing wisp of silvery starlight appeared, and a quick barrage of stinging projectiles intercepted the eidolon. Lucina, Severa, and Rogue could only gape as a second barrage of missiles finished off the weakened eidolon.

"What was _that_?" Severa demanded.

"The wisp from the forest…" Rogue said, sounding awed. "Did it really follow me here?"

As they spoke, Iris reverted to her human shape. She turned to look at the wisp, expecting it to disappear. Instead, it bobbed through the air around her. Though it had no face, or features at all, its steady, purposeful movements somehow gave Iris the impression that the wisp was content. "Is it following me?" Iris asked curiously, and she took a few steps away. Sure enough, the wisp followed, changing its direction only slightly to continue its orbit around her.

"No time for that now," Lucina reminded, as she gestured toward the village. Over a score of the eidolons had noticed them, and were now flying toward them, but more than a dozen still remained, tearing through the village.

Severa grimaced as she counted the approaching enemies. "This might be a little much," she admitted.

"There's more coming, too," Lucina noted, pointing up, where several dark shapes were descending, seemingly to join the eidolons flying toward them.

Rogue was tempted to suggest they run, but he knew better – even Iris would be hard-pressed to keep ahead of the pursuing eidolons for long, and unlike them, the eidolon fliers would not tire. Instead, Rogue watched silently, wondering how to approach this battle, until he noticed something unusual. "Lucina, those aren't eidolons," he said slowly, as he recognized the silhouettes.

Before any of the others could get a better look, the eidolons reached them first. Lucina, Severa, and Rogue were badly outnumbered, but there was no hesitation in their movements as they retreated defensively, trying to keep their attackers at bay. Eidolon after eidolon fell away from lance, sword, or sickle, while the wisp fired its own light missiles to keep them from reaching Iris, but still, there were too many.

The throbbing wing beats of the eidolon fliers was then interrupted by the flapping of large, feathered wings. Giant hawks and ravens, each of them at least five or six feet long with wingspans of at least ten feet soared into their midst, their powerful talons shredding through the eidolons.

To their credit, the eidolon fliers fought back, and the shrill, painful shrieks of the giant birds drowned out over the frightful cries of the villagers in the distance. But though the eidolons still had strength in numbers, that advantage was quickly dwindling.

Spurred on by the arrival of so many unexpected allies, Lucina, Severa, and Rogue pressed their sudden advantage, the three of them destroying more eidolons than the eight great birds that had joined them put together. When the last eidolon crumbled away, as one, the eight birds transformed into humans, though they retained their wings.

The three ravens became a pair of men and a single woman, all appearing fairly young, and sharing the same slender, petite build. Their hair was as dark as the wings behind them. The four hawks, when in their human forms, were larger and more muscular. Two of them were male, and the other two female. Three of them were blond, and the fourth was a woman with light-brown hair.

The last of the birds was a little bit different. When transformed, she had the shape of a hawk, though her feathers seemed far darker. Wearing her human guise, she definitely more closely resembled her hawk Laguz brethren. But even though her wings were still shaped more closely to those of a hawk, they had the same dark feathers of the ravens, and she seemed slightly smaller than the other hawks. Her hair was dark brown in color, and cropped short, barely extending past her jaw and hanging messily around her angular and undeniably beautiful face.

It was the unusual dark feathered hawk that greeted them. "You folks put up a better fight than we thought. Maybe we weren't needed after all," she said, grinning broadly at them. Then she spotted Iris, and her expression became one of surprise. "Are you one of the Laguz?" she asked, staring at Iris's wings.

Iris shrank back warily, remembering what Rogue had told her about his discoveries in the Revenant Copse. Likewise, Rogue immediately brandished his sickle defensively, as Lucina and Severa tightened their grasps on their own weapons. But they needn't have worried, for the hawk only continued to stare, surprise still plainly visible on her face.

"What of it?" Rogue demanded, in a tone that sounded more confident than he felt.

The hawk smiled kindly, as she turned toward the village. "It looks like the others have the eidolons cleaned up nicely," she said.

"Seems like it, milady," one of the ravens answered.

"Bah! They're only eidolons," one of the hawks blustered, though a cut on his arm indicated that he hadn't gotten through the fight completely unscathed. Several of his companions, too, bore minor wounds.

"Get yourselves cleaned up," the dark-feathered hawk instructed. She waited for her companions to leave before turning back to face Iris. "I never imagined I'd see one of your kind. We've been searching for centuries. Ever since the War of the Goddess, supposedly, but that was before my time, of course."

"You've been searching for me? Why?" Iris asked, astonished.

The hawk smiled sadly. "To try to put our past behind us. Why else? I am Celera, the Nighthawk of Phoenicis," she introduced, with a slight bow. "Are you folks from around here?" she asked, glancing at each of the others, including them in the conversation.

"We were just passing by," Rogue said.

"I'm Lucina," Lucina said, introducing herself. "And these are my friends, Severa, Rogue, and Iris," she added, when her friends looked hesitant to offer their own names. "When we saw the eidolons descending on the village, we thought we'd offer our help."

"With one of the fabled bat Laguz in tow," Celera said, smiling. "Many do not even remember the lost tribe, and of the few Laguz who remember, many would sooner forget the sins of our past." She turned and looked directly at Iris. "If you would be willing, King Phoenicis would be delighted to meet with you and your people. Phoenicis would welcome you, or, if you would prefer, I promise the king himself would be willing to visit your homeland personally."

"My homeland is gone," Iris said softly. "As are my people. The friends with me now are all I have left."

Celera flinched, the smile falling away from her face. "I am sorry to hear that, Iris. My father, for one, always feared for the worst when our searches remained fruitless." She glanced at the village. "It's always the same, isn't it? The price of pride will forever be the blood of the innocent," she said sagely. "The village will be grateful for your help, but I suggest you all stay away from this region for some time."

"Why?" Severa asked.

"My patrol was sent here at the behest of King Phoenicis, mostly for reconnaissance. Have you heard of the Redeemers? We spotted one of their war parties yesterday, and have been tailing them quietly. They stopped in the village for supplies, but one of the residents recognized them, and was foolish enough to let his recognition show," Celera explained. "We suspected the Redeemers would try to raze the village to hide their trail, and it looks like we were right," she finished, gesturing toward the village.

"What do you know about the Redeemers?" Rogue asked.

Celera rolled her eyes. "Not much more than anyone else, I imagine. Ever since Port Toha was destroyed, we've suspected them to be responsible for the recent eidolon activity. But they clean up after themselves, impeccably and brutally, and all we have are rumors."

"We're here in pursuit of the Redeemers," Rogue said, after a moment's thought. He was reluctant to disclose so much about their destination, but for now, at least, it seemed as if there was no way Celera or the other Laguz accompanying her were associated with the Redeemers. "They destroyed a village in the Snowflake Forest."

"I see. And when you find them, what then?" Celera asked. "We suspect the Redeemers are heading south, to the fortress city known as the Divine Citadel. Many believe the city to be some sort of base of operations for the Redeemers, but so far, we've been unable to tie the many suspected acts of the Redeemers to the citizens of the city."

"We need to know why they came north to the Snowflake Forest," Rogue insisted. "Is this Divine Citadel nearby?"

"It is," Celera confirmed. "Less than fifty miles to the south. But I would advise against traveling there, especially by yourselves. The Redeemers have gone to great lengths to mask themselves as best they can. Until Port Toha was destroyed, no one had even heard of them. Outwardly, the Divine Citadel appears to be a city like any other. You might not find what you are looking for there, but if you do stumble across something that the Redeemers wish to keep hidden, it could only stir up more trouble."

Rogue frowned. He had already suspected that the road ahead was fraught with danger, and Celera's words seemed to confirm his suspicions. If he was alone, the thought of danger wouldn't have fazed Rogue in the slightest, but now, with Iris following him, he was less certain.

Celera seemed to interpret his expression easily and accurately enough. "My people and our allies are already investigating the Redeemers. We would be happy to share anything we find. But don't expect too much; the Redeemers, much like the eidolons, often kill for seemingly no reason at all. If you'd like, my people can escort you to Phoenicis in the meantime," she offered kindly.

Rogue exchanged glances with Lucina and Severa in turn. He knew all three of them were thinking the same thing. Waiting in Phoenicis could prove dangerous, too, and the thought of waiting idly while hoping for others to find the answers for them wasn't too appealing. Besides, despite the black-feathered Laguz's seemingly friendly demeanor, Rogue wasn't quite sure they could trust Celera. "Thank you," he said appreciatively. "But I'm afraid we need our answers as soon as possible. Phoenicis is a bit far from here, is it not?"

"It is," Celera admitted. "You still intend to try to infiltrate the city of the Redeemers?"

"We will be careful," Lucina promised.

Celera eyed them thoughtfully. "Perhaps we can still help you. There is a merchant who often travels between the Divine Citadel and the nearby city of Tergum. He might be able to give you the information you need without even approaching the fortress, or, failing that, he may be able to find you a way in."

"Why would he be willing to help us?" Severa asked suspiciously.

Celera smiled. "Because he's searching for the same thing you are: information about the Redeemers. King Phoenicis sent us here to assist him in his search, but we haven't been able to do much, unfortunately, besides keeping him apprised of the Redeemers' movements beyond the immediate region. You obviously are no friends to the Redeemers, so helping you furthers our own cause. And perhaps you might be able to help him, too."

"Fair enough," Lucina agreed, though Severa, Rogue, and Iris all looked hesitant. The truth was, they didn't really have a plan for after they caught up to the Redeemers, and a fortress usually implied watchful sentries and guards. The connection between the Redeemers and the eidolons was more apparent than ever, though. Trusting Celera and her spy could be dangerous, but Lucina knew that she and her friends needed help.

Celera nodded approvingly. "Good luck, then. And when you reach Tergum, seek out the merchant who calls himself Nasir. Approach him in private, and tell him the Nighthawk sent you."

* * *

><p>Celera watched the mysterious bat Laguz and her companions depart. As they slowly faded in the distance, she braced herself for a lecture. The soft flapping of wings announced her latest visitor.<p>

"Are you certain that was wise?" The speaker spoke quietly, in the voice of an elderly man. And this particular friend was old indeed. In fact, he was the second oldest resident of Phoenicis, excluding the herons, who had lifespans far longer than the hawks or the ravens.

Celera gave a short, self-deprecating laugh. "I'm almost certain it wasn't. There's a reason Father decided neither my brother nor I was suited to the throne." She turned to face her confidante. Ulki had taken no part in the battle against the eidolons, for though he appeared to be in reasonably good condition, his bones and flesh had grown frail with age, and his face was worn with both the wrinkles of time and scars of distant wars. Still, the old hawk kept his hair, now sporting more gray than brown, and his small beard neatly groomed.

"Your father came to doubt even his own worthiness," Ulki reminded. "Of course, there was no better choice to be had, when the decision was made. Few would have followed former King Kilvas, and Naesala himself would not have accepted the throne anyways."

Celera shrugged. If anyone would know, asides from her father, it would be Ulki, who, over five hundred years ago, served as the "ears" of Hawk King Tibarn. "If Naesala was half as clever as his son, then it truly was a shame." She held no grudge against Strife, her father's chosen successor, for Celera and her brother, Valent, had both watched as the burden of leadership weighed heavily upon their legendary father.

"Those were different times," Ulki said. "Strength, honor, and bravery saw us through the War of the Goddess."

"And in a world of restless peace, patience, cunning, and tact are far more valuable," Celera said.

"And a healthy dose of paranoia," Ulki agreed. "Are you certain it was wise sending that group to Nasir?"

Celera winced. It was a tone Ulki often employed when pointing out a glaringly obvious error, and a tone that Celera and her brother had both become too accustomed to for their liking. "What did I overlook, _this_ time?" Celera asked, a little testily. Still, she knew better than to dismiss Ulki's warnings.

"They could be spies," Ulki said. "We suspect that Daein has been infiltrated already. Ironically enough, Daein suspects the same of us. The unfortunate truth is, we may both be right. And if we are, that would imply that the eyes of the Redeemers really are everywhere. The Crimean people could be just as much a threat."

"They claimed their village was just destroyed by the Redeemers," Celera argued.

"Of course they would claim that," Ulki admonished gently.

Celera sighed, having no argument against that logic. "Well… they _seemed_ sincere."

"Spies often do," Ulki said. "And by the way, why do you still insist upon using that stupid nickname? You are no nighthawk. You are as any other hawk is, save for the darker coloration of your feathers."

"Brother has the title of Flight Commander. Why shouldn't I get a title of my own? Besides, I think it's fitting," Celera said petulantly.

Ulki groaned. "Envy? Truly? And it's hardly a fitting title, for you bear none of the markings of nighthawks, nor are you nocturnal. In fact, you bear no resemblance to a true nighthawk."

"Well, it's stuck now," Celera said sheepishly. "It's been stuck for nearly thirty years, if you haven't noticed. And no one else seems to mind." She glanced at the road south, toward the Divine Citadel. "Do you think we should warn Nasir?"

"Nasir can take care of himself," Ulki assured. "But I would send a messenger home, at least. If this does bring trouble, best that King Phoenicis is properly forewarned."


	14. Chapter 9

**~ Chapter 9 ~**

"What took you two so long?" Lucina said anxiously, as she saw Severa and Rogue returning. The two seemed to be arguing as they made their way back through the Tergum city gates. The city was fairly large, but surprisingly kept no guards posted.

"Rogue was being a pain," Severa replied promptly.

"Me!?" Rogue protested indignantly. "We went ahead so that we could find Iris a cloak! You're the one who had to stop and look at every vendor's stall on the way there!"

"And I would've been able to sift through them faster if _someone_ wasn't breathing down my neck the whole time!" Severa fumed. "Here, Iris. One perfectly oversized traveler's cloak for you," Severa said, as she passed a large brown cloak to Iris. The Laguz donned the cloak immediately, tucking her wings in. She kept her eyelids half-closed, partially due to her sensitivity to the sunlight, and partially out of fatigue. Oddly enough, sunlight did seem to have a soporific effect on Iris.

"What's in the other bag?" Lucina asked curiously, trying and failing to hide a smile, as she gestured towards the pouch in Severa's other hand. In hindsight, she should have known better than to send Severa and Rogue into the city alone.

Severa reached into the bag and withdrew a small golden hairpiece, tossing it lightly to Lucina. Surprised, Lucina only barely caught the accessory. "You said your hair was getting in your eyes back on the ship, while we were sparring. We can't have that in a real fight, can we?" Severa reminded. "I thought you'd like this one – it looks just like the one you used to wear."

"It does, doesn't it?" Lucina said absently, as she inspected the hairpiece. She slipped it into place, behind her ears, adjusting her hair as she did. "Thanks, Severa."

"Any more objections?" Severa huffed, glaring at Rogue.

"I still say the rest of the shopping could've waited until after we returned with the cloak," Rogue grumbled, as they entered the city once more, this time accompanied by Lucina and Iris.

Severa ignored him. "So, where do we find this Nasir guy, anyways?"

"Look for the wings, I guess," Lucina said, shrugging. Severa had asked that exact same question yesterday, whereupon Lucina cursed herself for not thinking of this problem sooner. Celera really hadn't given them too many details to work with.

"Or an oversized cloak," Iris said, feeling rather uncomfortable in her new, billowing brown garment. It dragged on the floor uncomfortably, and threatened to trip her with every step.

"What if he isn't Laguz?" Severa pointed out. "Celera wasn't very specific about what Nasir was like. For all we know, he could be Beorc."

"There's a large tavern in the market square," Rogue said. "It looks like many of the merchants hang around there. Maybe if we ask around, someone will have heard of him."

"Maybe someone here would know of Harmony, too," Iris suggested. "I hope she's alright."

* * *

><p>As it turned out, the very first merchant they spoke to in the tavern did know of Nasir, and directed them to a table in the corner of the room. A male, blond hawk Laguz sat there, conversing with a middle-aged man with silvery-blue hair.<p>

"Pardon me, but are you Nasir?" Lucina asked the hawk politely, as the four of them approached the table.

The hawk didn't answer, and simply looked at his companion, startled. His companion peered at Lucina inquisitively, and politely asked, "Might I ask the purpose of your inquiry?"

"A hawk Laguz who calls herself the Nighthawk said you could help us," Lucina said. Both the Laguz and his companion started in recognition of the name.

"I see. Dear Celera. As impetuous as always," the silvery-blue haired man said, laughing lightly. "You've come to the right place, then. I am Nasir. May I ask your names?"

"I am Lucina," Lucina introduced with a nod. "With me are Severa, Rogue, and Iris," she added, gesturing at each of her companions in turn. Now that they had been introduced, Lucina thought she should've seen the signs earlier – Nasir's tanned, weather skin spoke of many long hours on the open roads, and his dark brown tunic and long white cape were both rather worn. A short braid hung across the merchant's left shoulder, bound with a small brown leather strap. Even if he wasn't truly a merchant, he certainly looked the part.

Nasir nodded in acknowledgement, before turning back to the hawk. "I appreciate the report."

"Of course, Lord Nasir," the hawk Laguz said deferentially, as he departed.

"So, how might I be of assistance?" Nasir asked, turning back to his guests and gesturing towards the empty seats around the table. "May I offer you a drink?"

Rogue shook his head. "You're the merchant the Nighthawk spoke of? She didn't mention you were Beorc. We expected you to be of her tribe."

"I am no hawk," Nasir replied. "But Celera, or the Nighthawk, as she often chooses to call herself, is a close friend nonetheless."

"We need to sneak into the Divine Citadel," Rogue said bluntly, and Lucina and Severa both hid a gasp at Rogue's forwardness. They had discussed this expected encounter the night after they met the bird Laguz, and they had all agreed that some trust was a necessary risk if they hoped to move forward, but this seemed almost _too_ abrupt.

Nasir, however, appeared unperturbed, though he did quickly scan the surrounding tables for any unwelcome attention. "The fortress city is open to travelers," he said, once he was satisfied that no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. "Unless your intent is to explore the more restricted parts, such as the fortress itself."

"It is," Lucina admitted. "We were trailing some Redeemers, in hopes of learning more about them."

"There are many seeking to learn more about the Beorc who would style themselves as the Redeemers," Nasir said, smiling faintly. "Myself included. I'm afraid any success we've found so far has been limited."

"The band we were following probably passed this way recently," Rogue began. Nasir nodded, for the Phoenician scout had told him the same thing only moments earlier. "They recently traveled all the way north, to the Snowflake Forests. We need to know why."

"I'm afraid that explaining their actions, or understanding their motivations, is quite beyond me," Nasir said gently. "I have long suspected them to be involved in bandit activity, though, and if any villages met their untimely fate along their path, they are the likely perpetrators."

"We know for a fact they were involved," Lucina said quickly.

Nasir frowned. "Then you might know more than I do. Which may not be safe, you must understand. The Redeemers are meticulous in keeping a clean trail, leaving as little solid evidence behind as possible. What do you wish to learn, then? Or are you here merely to avenge their victims? I'm sorry to say that any caught and killed in the wake of the Redeemers were not the first victims. In all likelihood, they will not be the last, either."

"Can you sneak us into their fortress?" Rogue asked.

"We just need answers," Severa assured. "We're not looking for revenge."

"Not yet," Rogue interrupted, and both Lucina and Severa glared at him. Rogue didn't recoil, though, and looked at Nasir appraisingly.

"What you propose is incredibly dangerous, for while they pay little attention to the happenings in the rest of the city, they keep their fortress under careful watch," Nasir said, shaking his head. "Sneaking in unnoticed will be no easy feat."

"You can't help us?" Iris asked, her voice a mixture of disappointment and relief. Though she knew her friends were right in wanting to learn more about the Redeemers, the thought of trying to slip into their fortress undetected was daunting.

Nasir sighed. "Your timing is fortunate. As a matter of fact, I have been poised here for many months, trying to learn more about the Redeemers' objectives for my… benefactor. In the course of my time here, I have forged business ties with the Redeemers, and twice a month, I deliver certain goods directly to their fortress."

"So you _can_ get us inside," Rogue translated.

"Indeed," Nasir said with a nod. "Normally I would refuse, as it would jeopardize my own responsibilities. But the situation has changed. I have learned little in my time here, but I am now absolutely certain that the Redeemers have recently set some of their plans in motion. I have planned an excursion of my own, for my next trip to the Divine Citadel. If you wish to accompany me, I can get you into the fortress safely, though I can promise nothing beyond that."

"You mean, we will have to find our own way out?" Severa asked.

"I don't understand," Lucina said. "You would be taking quite a risk in breaking in. Wouldn't smuggling in more people, in itself, threaten to unravel your own work?"

"A necessary risk," Nasir said with a grin. "If I was to enter alone, I would only have so much time before the Redeemers detected my uninvited presence. But the four of you may divert their attention for some time."

"So you mean to use us as a decoy," Severa said, in a disgusted tone.

"I highly doubt the Redeemers will fail to notice four uninvited guests in their home for long," Nasir corrected. "So I am offering you exactly what you asked for. The fact that it will benefit me is a happy coincidence for all of us. I promise I will do nothing to put any of you at any additional risk, and if it makes you feel better, my benefactor is no friend to the Redeemers, either."

Severa and Rogue both looked like they were ready to reply to Nasir's offer, but Lucina was sure their answers would be quite different, so she spoke up first. "Thank you, Nasir. Would you mind if we discussed your offer in private?"

"Of course. I will be departing from the city's south gate the day after tomorrow, at dawn's first light. Come find me there and then, if you would accompany me," Nasir said graciously.

* * *

><p>At Lucina's insistence, they refrained from further conversation until they rented a couple rooms from the tavern keeper. They gathered in one of the rooms for now, where Iris immediately removed her cloak, having grown tired of having her wings tightly pinned.<p>

"So, what's to discuss?" Severa asked, not bothering to hide her irritation.

Rogue nodded in agreement. "Right. We don't have much of a choice, do we?"

Lucina smiled and shook her head, having expected as much, as Severa shot Rogue a look of disbelief.

"You can't be serious, Rogue," Severa protested. "Nasir's using us."

"Of course," Rogue said easily. "He seemed pretty forthcoming about that. But if he was a threat to us, he knows too much already."

"That doesn't mean we should play right into his hands," Severa challenged. "He could be lying to us. For all we know, he could be in league with the Redeemers."

"If he is, then the Redeemers will know about us soon no matter what we do," Rogue pointed out. "We put our trust in Celera because we knew we'd probably need some help before this is over. That hasn't changed, has it?"

"Well… no," Severa admitted. "But are you really ready to bet all of our lives on this, because someone we barely know pointed us to him?"

Rogue looked uneasy. "Not particularly, but I'd say we're committed at this point. If we turn Nasir down now, we can't know for sure the next person who could offer us any help is any more trustworthy."

"Besides, Nasir has a point," Lucina added. "If he's afraid of being caught, then it stands to reason that the four of us would be caught even more easily. Whether or not we accept his help, I think we may end up having to fight our way out."

Severa furrowed her brow thoughtfully. "Good point. Actually, now that you mention it, the odds of us just finding the answers lying around were kind of slim to begin with. Finding trouble seems much more probable."

"Then why are we even taking this risk?" Iris asked.

"Because a slim chance of finding what we need is better than no chance at all," Rogue said with a shrug. "Although, now that you mention it, this wasn't really a very good plan."

"If you can even call it a plan," Lucina muttered under her breath.

"That's what I mean," Iris insisted. "It's more dangerous than we thought when we set out in this direction, and now we know for sure we don't have as much time as we thought. Even if everything goes well, we'll probably be leaving empty handed."

Severa's eyes lit up. "Not necessarily," she purred. "It just means we need a faster way to find our answers."

"Like?" Lucina asked warily.

"Like snatching one of the Redeemers," Severa said, grinning deviously.

"Okay, this makes our previous plan sound amazing in contrast," Lucina said, wincing. "You want to kidnap a soldier from his fortress?"

"Nope," Severa said, and for a moment, Lucina was relieved. That relief was short-lived, however. "Not a soldier. A soldier might not have anything to tell us, anyways, if they're like the ones we fought back in Wilderness's Edge. I say we try to find this Lady Medea they mentioned."

"You want to try to kidnap _their leader_?" Lucina asked, her eyes widening. "Have you gone mad?"

"We need to find someone important enough to know what we need to know," Severa said, with a shrug. "And it doesn't have to be Medea, either. We can go for the first person we see who has some authority and looks like he or she might be vulnerable."

"That actually sounds plausible," Rogue said thoughtfully, while Lucina and Iris gazed upon Severa in stunned disbelief. Both Lucina and Iris turned to Rogue. "Severa's right," he said defensively. "If we try to skulk around in the shadows, we won't even know what we're looking for, let alone how long it'll take."

"It's the best plan we've got," Severa insisted. "Also, it'll solve our problem with Nasir, too. Assuming he doesn't just betray us outright, we won't have to worry about him getting caught and turning their attention towards us, because we'll stir up plenty of confusion right away."

"Well, I guess Nasir would certainly get the distraction he's after, but I can't say for sure he'll be getting any more time," Iris said, smiling faintly.

Lucina shook her head. "This has to be our worst idea yet. Naturally, it's the first one you two agree upon," she said dryly, as she glanced first at Severa, then at Rogue.

Both of them laughed lightly at that remark. "Come on, Lucy. Let's stick to our strengths. The Redeemers have been complete pushovers so far. We'll get in there, smack a few heads around, and get out before they realize what hit them," Severa said with a broad grin. "I'm not much of a strategist, remember?"

Lucina sighed. "Funny you say that. I'm not sure a true strategist's plan would sound any saner. In my first battle following Robin, he came up with a marvelous plan to set half of our fleet on fire. That sounded just as crazy, at the time."

"That's a plan?" Iris asked, doubtfully.

"I heard it was pretty spectacular," Severa said. "Though I really hope this doesn't go up in flames…"

* * *

><p>"You know, I think we should try to adjust our schedule back to normal," Lucina suggested, as she and Severa wandered through the marketplace, visiting the few vendors who kept their market stalls open despite the late hour. They had spent the rest of the afternoon resting, for they had traveled through the previous night.<p>

"Probably," Severa agreed. "I overheard one of the merchants talking to his partner about their next trip to the citadel. Supposedly it's only a six hour ride. We'll probably be there just after midday, and given Nasir's plan, I don't think we can just wait until night to slip inside.

Lucina frowned. "I hope Iris will be able to cope with it."

"She's pretty easygoing," Severa pointed out. And indeed, the Laguz hadn't argued at all when they had decided to approach Nasir during the day.

"Still. It's odd that she can't transform during the day," Lucina noted. "The other Laguz seem to be able to transform whenever they want. I guess really not all that surprising that the bat Laguz were treated like outcasts, given how different they are."

"Not surprising, but sad all the same," Severa said. Their conversation abruptly halted as they passed a small leather craftsman's workshop. Severa stopped, her attention drawn by the darkened leather armor resting upon one of the display racks, visible through the open door.

"What is it?" Lucina asked, as she stopped too, and craned her head for a better look.

"That armor looks pretty nice," Severa said wistfully.

Lucina laughed. "Sev, you were complaining about 'boring black' just last week."

"When?" Severa asked. But she remembered it herself a split second after. "Oh, the Redeemers. Well, their armor _is_ boring," Severa said defensively. "It's just normal armor plates dyed black. That captain's silver-trimmed armor looked decent enough, I suppose."

Barely taking note of Severa's protests, Lucina eyed the armor carefully. "That armor looks shoddily made," Lucina finally decided.

"I suppose," Severa agreed, looking rather disappointed.

"You really never change, do you?" Lucina said, stifling another laugh. Still, with the small golden headpiece Severa had bought for her resting atop her head, Lucina wasn't really complaining. Severa was surprisingly practical, despite her love of shopping.

* * *

><p>As far as Rogue could remember, he had never been to a large city before. Ever since his memories began in Silent Grove, all he could remember was the quiet, sleepy village in the middle of the forest, and the trading settlement a few miles away which rarely hosted more than two dozen travelers at a time. He supposed it was natural to feel uncomfortable, making his way down the bustling streets alone. But what was most discomforting was that the whole scene felt vaguely familiar. It wasn't the foreignness that was making him nervous, but the ears and eyes that may be pointed his way, hiding in the shadows, or in plain sight.<p>

Instinctively, he hid any sign of his discomfort, talking casually with some of the vendors and smiling at those who passed him by, acting as any traveler might. When he stopped to think about it, he knew it was the wisest course; in a crowded place, it was impossible to escape everyone's notice entirely. The easiest way to attract unwanted attention was to blatantly act out of place. By acting the same way any normal traveler might, no one seemed to pay him any attention at all. Still, it surprised him, and worried him a little, that he had instinctively known the proper course. It was as if he had once played this exact scenario out before, wandering through a busy town while blending in with a crowd.

Trying to take his mind off the connotations of that, he stopped by a fruit vendor, selecting a small bunch of plump grapes. Ignoring the vendor's protests, he removed and sampled one of the bulbous fruits.

"How much for two bunches?" Rogue asked, stemming the merchant's ire. The grapes grown in Silent Grove were for Jake's winemaking, and were usually far more sour than sweet. As Rogue had suspected, these grapes were the same sweet variety as those Harmony or the other merchants would periodically bring north.

"Two gold each," the merchant replied instantly.

Rogue smiled knowingly; though the price was still lower than what the merchants of Wilderness's Edge would expect, the merchant spoke a little bit too abruptly. A rehearsed opening offer. "Too expensive," Rogue said, shaking his head, as he flipped a small copper coin to the merchant instead, and began walking away.

"One gold!" the merchant amended immediately. Rogue didn't push his luck, and after selecting two bunches of the grapes and paying the merchant, he began making his way back to the tavern.

Lucina and Severa had retreated to the other room they had rented after their decision was made. They were all supposed to be resting, at least until the evening, but Rogue had been feeling restless. Not wanting to bother Iris, he set out on his own instead, needing some time alone with his thoughts.

He had agreed with Severa's plan at the time, but now had second thoughts about it. Given Nasir's plan of sneaking in amidst a delivery, there was no way they could wait until nightfall for their raid, which meant Iris would be without the ability to transform. Even if she could transform, though, she wasn't a fighter. There was no practical reason for her to follow them into danger.

None, except for the fact it was fairly obvious Iris wouldn't agree to being left behind alone.

Rogue was still lost in his thoughts, and trying to marshal his arguments when he climbed the wooden stairs of the tavern and unlocked the door to the room he and Iris were sharing.

"You can sleep in a little," Rogue said, when he noticed that Iris was already awake, sitting cross legged on her bed. It had been several hours already, and the sun had begun to set already, but he had been expecting Iris to sleep a little longer.

"It's okay. I'm not that tired," Iris said. "Rogue, I wanted to show you something."

"Sure," Rogue said, sitting down on the other bed, across from her. "What is it?"

Iris smiled and displayed the moonstone pendant Rogue had given her, no longer worn across her neck, but held loosely in her hand. "I found out what this is for," she explained shyly.

"It's… a pendant. It's for wearing, isn't it?" Rogue asked.

In answer to his question, the wisp of silvery starlight reappeared, and Iris's smile widened. "I think the wisp is tethered to the pendant," she said.

After the surprise wore off, Rogue eyed the wisp thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, that wisp first appeared in my first battle after finding the pendant. I think you're right."

"And it showed up to protect me instead after you gave me the pendant," Iris added, nodding. "Here. You should take it back."

"No, you should keep it," Rogue declined immediately. "I can take care of myself. So can Lucina and Severa."

"But you get into trouble more often than I do," Iris protested.

"And you're not as good at staying out of trouble as I'd like," Rogue replied, smiling. "By the way… Iris, I don't think you should come with us to the Divine Citadel."

"I'm not staying behind!" Iris protested. The normally soft-spoken girl was surprisingly adamant.

"Iris, you don't even carry a weapon. There's no need for you to walk into danger beside us," Rogue argued.

Iris bit her lip and looked down at her lap. She seemed quite crestfallen, and her wings trembled softly behind her. "I don't want to be alone again," she whispered.

"You won't be," Rogue promised. "I'll be fine. The three of us can take care of ourselves. You know that."

"If you're sure you'll be fine, then why can't I come?" Iris said.

"We'll probably have to go during the day. You can't even transform to fly away faster, and you have no way to defend yourself," Rogue reminded her.

Iris didn't seem convinced. "I can still fly without transforming," she reminded. "And if you want, I can pick up a weapon in the market later."

"Have you ever used a weapon?" Rogue asked, with a single raised eyebrow. It was a rhetorical question, for he knew the answer already.

"Umm… I've used a knife," Iris said sheepishly.

"To slice fruits and vegetables," Rogue said, chuckling. "It's not the same, Iris. Not even close." Then he remembered the bag of fresh grapes he had purchased. "Oh, right. I saw a vendor selling grapes. Don't worry, they're the sweet kind," he said, passing the pouch over to Iris.

Iris wasn't so easily distracted. She accepted the fruit with a grateful nod, but set them aside. "Rogue, I'm not staying behind," she insisted again. "Besides, I really don't think I'd be much safer alone here, or in the Divine Citadel alone while you and Lucina and Severa break into the castle."

"Fine," Rogue said, with a resigned sigh. "But if you're coming, you have to keep the pendant with you, alright? When the fighting starts, I might not be able to stay by your side the whole time. At least this way, _someone_ will be watching over you."

Iris didn't look too happy with that, but Rogue's expression made it quite clear there was little room for negotiation. "Alright," she agreed reluctantly, and she draped the pendant around her neck once more.

* * *

><p>Nasir approached the south gate of Tergum. Dawn was still at least half an hour off, and the streets were completely barren of life at this hour. He hadn't seen Lucina or her rather unusual party, including the rather poorly disguised Laguz, since their meeting in the tavern. "For their own sakes, hopefully they changed their mind about this," Nasir chuckled grimly.<p>

Unfortunately for Nasir, that option wasn't quite available to him. With or without help, he was going to have to find out what he could. There were many like him, scattered across the continent, following different leads of their own, but as far as he was aware, the Redeemers' objective remained a mystery. Now, their actions hinted at something far more sinister. Nasir's little jaunt into the fortress could very well be their only chance at uncovering the truth, and their only opportunity to prepare themselves for the coming storm.

Thankfully, Nasir wasn't too concerned for his own safety. His own name had thankfully faded from history long ago, but memories were far more lasting, and the old Laguz was reasonably certain that nothing the Redeemers could throw at him could come even close to the trials of Mad King Ashnard's war, or the War of the Goddess that followed.

"Good morning, Nasir," Lucina said politely, as Nasir exited the gate to where his small caravan had been packed and prepared the night before.

Nasir looked at her, startled, though he hid his disappointment well. "You've decided to accompany me, then?" he asked, noting that all three of Lucina's companions were present, too.

"Yep. We'll enter the citadel with you, and then we'll go our own separate ways," Severa confirmed.

Nasir nodded. "Very well. In case it may help, I intend to begin my own search with their archives. If you would like to search elsewhere, I will be glad to share my findings with you after, in exchange for your own."

"We have our own escape planned," Rogue reminded. "We won't likely be meeting again."

"Not immediately, perhaps," Nasir remarked. "But I intend to head to Begnion after. Tanas, to be precise. If you still have need of answers, you are welcome to seek me out there. Now, let us be off. And Iris, you need not hide your heritage while we travel," he added kindly. "I have many Laguz friends who have previously disguised themselves in the same fashion. They tell me it's quite uncomfortable."

* * *

><p>As the Divine Citadel came into sight, Iris tugged her large cloak back on reluctantly. Rogue had initially been wary, but since Nasir had known Celera, who in turn already knew about Iris's heritage, Iris had pointed out that there was no reason to hide her identify from Nasir any longer.<p>

To the merchant's credit, other than a single questioning look, Nasir had not commented on Iris's unusual wings. The first few hours went by in silence, but as the morning grew late, Nasir had indulged them with a few stories of his travels around the continent.

"It sounds like you've been all over the continent," Lucina said, after Nasir told them of an encounter with pirates off of the south coast of Begnion.

"Indeed, I have," Nasir said. "All around the coast of Tellius. I've been to Gallia, Phoenicis, and Kilvas as well, as a matter of fact."

"What of Goldoa?" Rogue asked, remembering the fourth surviving Laguz country, the home of the dragon Laguz.

"I have met several Goldoans," Nasir admitted. "It's no difficult feat in this day and age. The Goldoans may have been secluded in the past, but King Kurthnaga's first act as king, over five centuries ago, was to bring an end to Goldoa's isolation and open it to visitors. His people often venture forth to visit other lands, too."

"Have you ever thought of visiting other continents?" Severa asked curiously.

"There are no other continents, so say the legends," Nasir said, shaking his head. "The Great Flood destroyed all the lands beyond Tellius." Nasir then appeared thoughtful. "Then again, the goddess is hardly omnipotent, is she? Else the War of the Goddess would have had a more definitive end. Perhaps there is more to the world that remains beyond her reach."

Lucina and Severa let the conversation drop there, as neither was willing to trust Nasir with anything more.

Twenty minutes later, they passed through the city gates. Four guards stood by the gates, wearing the same black plate armor worn by the soldiers that had invaded the Snowflake Forest, though the silver skull-like insignia of the Redeemers was absent. As Nasir had promised, none of them gave the merchant's party so much as a second glance as they ushered the expected visitors through.

The fortress itself was not hard to find. In fact, they had spotted it before even entering the city, for the tall, elaborately decorated structure of black and grey bricks protruded high above every other building in the city. The impressive fortress loomed over Nasir and his "assistants" intimidatingly as they drew closer.

"It has six floors," Nasir said quietly, answering their unspoken question as Lucina and Severa gaped at the sheer height of the fortress. Iris, on the other hand, simply tried to look as small as possible, nervous that her disguise wouldn't hold. Beside her, Rogue's attention was focused entirely on the door of the fortress and its guards.

The Redeemers at the fortress's entrance approached them as they neared, but Nasir handed them a stack of paperwork, detailing the products he had brought along. After a cursory inspection, the guards waved them past without any hassle.

"May Ashera watch over us all," Nasir whispered, as soon as they were out of earshot of the guards. He led the carts down the wide hallway, into a large, empty chamber furnished only with thick, richly colored violet carpets and fine, comfortable benches. Leaving his goods there, he strolled off casually down one of the side halls.

"Good luck," Lucina replied, as she, Severa, Rogue, and Iris watched him depart. As soon as Nasir was out of sight, the four of them slipped off in the opposite direction.


	15. Chapter 10

**~ Chapter 10 ~**

"So, where do we go now?" Lucina asked softly, wishing they had a map of some sort. The fortress's layout primarily consisted of winding hallways, and they were left wandering aimlessly. Though she remained fairly confident they could retrace their steps all the way back to the entrance, it became quickly apparent that none of them knew where they were going.

"I guess we wander around until we find someone," Severa said, shrugging. Unlike Lucina, she didn't bother keeping her voice down.

"_That's_ your plan?" Rogue hissed. "We walk around until we bump into someone trying to kill us?"

"It's that, or we find some place with a nice view, and wait for someone to find and try to kill us," Severa replied flippantly. "It's not like I've been here before. I don't know where we're going."

Lucina groaned at the oversight. In fact, this entire scheme was one big series of oversights. Follow the Redeemers and find answers, somehow. Find one of their leaders, somehow. Subdue one of said leaders and escape from the fortress… somehow. Avoiding plans like this one was precisely why she had begged Morgan to join the Shepherds as their tactician.

Then again, it was sort of Morgan's fault that they were here to begin with.

"Do you think they'll have any maps lying around?" Lucina asked, trying to take her mind off what promised to be a disaster. "They have to familiarize their new recruits to their fortress's layout somehow, right?"

"Just lying out in the open?" Rogue asked doubtfully. "I don't think so."

"Alright… let's take our search slowly, then," Severa suggested, pointing at some of the rooms. "We'll go through each of the rooms, one at a time, and keep an eye out for hiding places too. Since these floors aren't carpeted, we can hear any guards approaching from a fair distance away."

"That's as good a plan as any," Lucina said. "Are you alright, Iris?" she asked, turning to the Laguz, who had not spoken since entering the city.

"I'm okay," Iris said timidly. She had shed her cloak and tied around her waist, wanting her wings to be free in case any danger found them. She looked a little bit tired, but was otherwise alert.

With no better option available to them, the nervous party approached the nearest doorway, half expecting the chamber to be packed to the brim with enemy soldiers.

* * *

><p>Their searched turned up absolutely nothing for quite some time. The first room they entered was either a break room or conference room. It was comfortably furnished with soft armchairs, fine oak tables, plush rugs, and an unlit fireplace. The second looked to be a scribe's workshop. Several spell tomes were lying in the open.<p>

"We might as well take them," Severa decided, after inspecting them. "These seem pretty decent. The ones they were selling back in Tergum were terrible."

"None of us really use magic, though," Lucina said hesitantly. "Is stealing them really worth the risk?"

"You and I can use them if we have to. And Rogue, didn't you mention that spirit charmers were supposed to be gifted with magic? Maybe you could figure out how to use them, too," Severa pointed out. Rogue nodded. Ignoring Lucina's protests, Severa slipped several of the tomes into her satchel before they set off again.

They found some living quarters soon after, which were thankfully empty. But they encountered trouble not long after, in the form of a pair of sentries keeping watch over a larger, heavier door. The sentries were thankfully startled to see the intruders, and before either could shout out in alarm, Lucina and Severa rushed forward, knocking both of the Redeemers out cold.

"Do we kill them?" Rogue asked, and Iris blanched nervously. Rogue himself didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about the idea.

"I don't think it matters. Dead or missing, they'll draw attention either way," Lucina said with a shrug. "Let's bind and gag them. We can leave them inside." She produced a long coil of rope from her satchel, which they had purchased back in Tergum, and after the two men were bound back-to-back, Severa grabbed a ring of keys hanging from one man's belt. A large, black key seemed to match the door's design. The door clicked open a moment later, admitting the intruders and their unconscious victims.

"An armory?" Lucina guessed, as she eyed the large assortment of armor and weapons lying around the room. "There's no one here."

"Let's leave the sentries and get out then," Severa said urgently. "They'll notice the missing guards sooner or later, and we don't want to be anywhere near here when they do."

"Hold on," Rogue instructed. "Back in Wilderness's Edge, there was that soldier wearing a suit of flaming armor that the Redeemers sent after me. I wonder if there's more of the same armor in here."

"The one they called a phantom?" Lucina asked, remembering the story.

"That's the one," Rogue said, as he walked between the rows of armor stands and wooden tables laden with swords, axes, and lances. "Honestly, I don't even know if there was really a person underneath that armor. When the armor exploded, it didn't leave anything even remotely resembling human remains."

"What, you think the armor was walking around on its own?" Severa asked sarcastically.

"Umm… if the armor can walk on its own, do we really want to be looking for it?" Iris pointed out nervously.

"We do if we want to find out what it was," Rogue said absently, inspecting some of the jet black armor, the standard armor worn by the Redeemer soldiers. "This stuff's just cheap iron though, and dyed black."

"Hmm… that's an interesting weapon," Lucina said, pointing at a large pedestal.

A large, finely polished and elaborately trimmed wooden slab rested upon the pedestal, propped against the wall behind it. A few carefully positioned nails mounted a long scythe. Oddly enough, a sharp, curved blade of black metal emerged from each end of the shaft, though the two blades pointed in opposite directions. Three leather grips adorned the metallic shaft, which was forged from the same dark material as the blades. The grip in the center was longer, and two shorter ones were spaced evenly on either side of it. An inscription, embossed in silver letters, was visible just beneath each blade. A small golden plaque rested beneath the exotic weapon.

"Symphony's Chorus of the Night," Rogue said, reading off the plaque. "A scythe with a blade on each end? It looks like a disaster waiting to happen."

"The shaft looks like it's made of metal, too," Iris pointed out. "Maybe it'll be sturdier than your sickle."

Rogue shook his head. "A metal shaft that long would be far too heavy to use," he said dubiously. Still, he lifted the weapon from the display rack, and to his surprise, the scythe was unnaturally light, and felt comfortably familiar in his hands. He twirled the weapon gracefully in a simple flourish, and was awed by its seemingly perfect balance.

"You may as well keep it," Lucina offered, impressed by the ease with which Rogue handled the uniquely shaped weapon. "Your sickle looks like it's on its last legs."

"It's a little bit obvious, isn't it?" Rogue said skeptically. Indeed, though the weapon looked similar to the other weapons that lay scattered around, the workmanship of the weapon was significantly better, and even the metal seemed to be different, though the color was similar. He peered at the inscriptions. "Noctis," he read. He flipped the weapon over to read the other side. "Cantus."

"Well, grab it and let's get going," Severa said impatiently. Unlike Rogue, at this point, she wasn't overly concerned about stealth. "There's no silver armor here," she added, peering around the room. "Nor any armor walking around on its own."

"Wait, Rogue," Iris interrupted. "Don't those coats look a little bit like the one you had?" She pointed at a coatrack standing a few feet from the pedestal where Rogue's new weapon had been displayed. A pair of black leather coats hung from it.

"Wrong color," Rogue said, though he lifted one of the coats for a closer look anyways. Iris was right, he soon realized. The length and shape of the coat, and the folds along the collar, appeared to be an exact match to the coat he used to own. Even the interior pockets were in precisely the same positions. "The design does look the same," he muttered curiously.

"Where did you find your old coat?" Severa asked, frowning.

"Harmony sold it to me. It was made in Tergum, supposedly," Rogue said. "I guess the style isn't unique. Or maybe the Redeemers just happened to purchase these from the same vendor."

"But why would they have ordinary leather coats in an armory?" Lucina asked, puzzled.

They pondered her question silently for several seconds, until an idea came to Severa. Without warning, she lifted one of the fire tomes she had collected earlier, and loosed a small fireball at the other coat still hanging on the rack.

Lucina, Rogue, and Iris backed away, shocked, but the spell dissipated as a strange, glowing silvery pattern appeared on the coat. "There's your answer," Severa said with a satisfied smile.

"Of course… they're warded," Lucina realized. "They can resist magic," she explained, when she noticed Rogue and Iris's questioning looks.

That was good enough for Rogue, who swiftly donned the coat he still held in his hands. It fit him perfectly. "One of you might want to take the other one," he suggested, as he inspected the second one.

Lucina smiled. "Rogue, that coat's a little bit big for us," she pointed out. "You're at least eight inches taller than Sev and I, and more like a foot taller than Iris. The coat reaches just above your ankles; we'd probably trip all over it if we tried to wear it."

"Speaking of Severa, where is she?" Rogue asked.

Lucina spun around, and indeed, Severa was no longer with them. "Sev?" Lucina called nervously.

"I'm back here," Severa called back, in a muffled tone from behind one of the shelves. "Give me a moment."

"Is everything okay?" Lucina asked nervously.

"I'm fine, I'm just trying this on," Severa replied.

Lucina, Rogue, and Iris waited impatiently and uncomfortably, as Severa's requested "moment" dragged on longer and longer. Finally, just as Lucina's patience was wearing thin, Severa stepped around the corner.

Severa was no longer wearing her old leather armor. Instead, she was wearing clad in a suit of armor that only vaguely resembled that which the other Redeemers had been wearing. It was black, but like Rogue's new scythe, the armor was too light to have been forged from cheap iron. The breastplate, pauldrons, battle skirt, and greaves were crafted from finely layered, silver-trimmed, elegant plates. A matching black, conical-topped, open-faced barbute rested upon her head. Her long, platinum-blond hair was no longer bound in pigtails, and instead hung freely behind her, emerging from beneath the back of the helm and cascading down her back, over a long cape, black on the outside, silver on the inside. Severa wore a new form-fitting dark leather tunic beneath her new breastplate, and a long skirt of black silk beneath the metallic drapes of her medium length battle skirt. Finally, a tear-shaped shield, black and trimmed in silver like the rest of her armor, hung from her left arm.

"Where did you find _that_?" Lucina asked, stunned by the fabulous suit of armor.

"They have a bunch of nicer pieces back there. It took me a bit to find the right ones in my size," Severa said, grinning broadly. "I think there should be enough to put a suit together for you, too."

The offer was tempting, but Lucina knew they had wasted too much time already. "We have to go," Lucina reminded. "They could turn up looking for those guards we knocked out any moment." She glanced at the corner of the room where both guards remained, bound, gagged, and unconscious.

"Come on, Lucy. This armor's warded just like those coats," Severa said. "And it's really light, too! Though… there aren't as many of these pieces as there are the regular ones."

"I bet they save the nicer pieces of equipment for their higher ranked soldiers," Rogue guessed, remembering that the captain that he had confronted back in Wilderness's Edge wore armor that was more decorated than his men. Severa's new armor, on the other hand, was far more elaborate, and clearly of better quality too.

"We don't have time," Lucina insisted. "Come on, let's go."

Severa rolled her eyes. "Fine." She then turned to Iris, and tossed a sheathed sword at the Laguz.

Startled, Iris nearly dropped it after catching it unsteadily. "What's this for?" she asked uncomfortably.

"Just in case you need a weapon," Severa said with a shrug. "I found it with the armor. It looked pretty nice."

Lucina, in the meantime, led the way back into the hallway, closing the door behind Iris, who was the last to exit the armory. "You should probably wait for a few lessons before trying to wield it," Lucina said gently, hiding a smile as Iris continued to stare at the sheathed weapon, which she clutched tightly in both hands. Iris was still staring at it as if she had never seen anything quite like it before. At Lucina's reassuring words, the Laguz girl nodded, relieved that her new friends weren't expecting her to try to put the weapon to use right away.

* * *

><p>They continued further down the hall, but the corridor came to a dead end before long. There was a workshop complete with an anvil and furnace, but the furnace wasn't lit. A few pieces of partially completed armor and the blade of a broad sword rested on a long table, but there were no smiths in sight.<p>

"Back the other way, then?" Lucina suggested. Without any better suggestions, the rest of the group fell in line behind her and they made their way back to the entrance hall, hoping they hadn't run out of time.

* * *

><p>They didn't encounter any more of the Redeemers until they returned to the main hall. Through the tall, arched doorway, Nasir's carts laden with various goods remained clearly visible. But as they approached the chamber's threshold, footsteps could be heard against the hard stone floor. Immediately, they retreated behind the two edges of the doorway, out of sight, and hoped whoever was coming wouldn't be headed there way.<p>

The footsteps continued past the side passage. Lucina grabbed at Severa's wrist when she felt her best friend stir, evidently wanting to sneak a peek at whoever was passing by. Severa glared at her, but Lucina shook her head firmly, indicating that they couldn't take the risk.

"What the hell was the witch thinking?" the Redeemer fumed, in a vaguely familiar, feminine voice. Her anger and frustration were unmistakable.

Even as Lucina tried to place the voice, Rogue's eyes widened in shocked recognition. Without warning, he stood and rushed through the doorway. Startled, Iris followed a second later, with Severa and Lucina entering the chamber right after their Laguz companion.

"Harmony!?" Rogue said, in a tone of disbelief.

The merchant that Lucina and Severa had encountered on the forest trail before finding Silent Grove stood there, gaping at them with equal surprise, and no small measure of horror. Her traveling robe was gone, revealing an interlocking vest of fine black plates, much like the armor Severa wore, and a dark leather tunic beneath it. "Rogue? Iris? You can't be here!" Harmony hissed, terrified.

"You're… you're one of _them_?" Iris stammered.

"Harmony, what is going on here?" Rogue demanded. Even as he spoke, though, realization set in. His "friend" was one of the Redeemers. She must have known who he was all along, too. Finally, he understood why the Redeemers had come north to Silent Grove. "It was you…" Rogue said, in a hushed tone. "You led the Redeemers north."

"No, I didn't," Harmony swore, though her expression remained frantic. "Rogue, Iris, you have to get out of here, quickly! Before…"

"Before what, Harmony?" a voice called, drifting from another of the side passages. Harmony's expression twisted into an angry grimace as a tall, blond woman, clothed in a revealing black leather bodice and long, white silk robe stepped into the room. An angry, crimson, sword-shaped brand adorned the woman's forehead.

"Medea," Harmony greeted, nodding stiffly. The dark-haired woman reached for the hilt of her sword as she spoke, a curved scimitar that Lucina, Severa, Rogue, and Iris had never noticed her carrying before.

Medea ignored Harmony's greeting as well as the intimidating gesture, though, and instead looked at Rogue in surprise. "Symphony? Is that you?"

That remark took Rogue aback. "Symphony?" Rogue echoed in confusion.

Medea's eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. Then her eyes widened, and she smiled. "Of course! Maelstrom's curse! You do not remember me, do you, Lord Symphony?" Medea turned to Harmony. "It seems you found him after all." Harmony's lips grew thin, and Medea's eyes danced with understanding and malice. "Or perhaps… you were hiding him from us. Why would you do such a thing, dear?"

"What's going on here!?" Rogue demanded angrily, having no patience for banter. "Are you Medea? The one who sent the Redeemers to sack Silent Grove?"

"Is that the village in the forest? Or the one along the road south?" Medea asked, in an infuriatingly tone of indifference. "It doesn't matter, since the answer is the same either way. My orders come from Lord Charon, of course, though I suppose you don't remember him, either. But yes, it was necessary to tidy up after ourselves. Do not trouble yourself with their fate, Symphony."

Her callous, dismissive attitude was too much for Rogue, who hefted his new scythe, brandishing it towards Medea menacingly. "You don't even care, do you? About all the innocent lives you destroyed?" he demanded bitterly. He was gratified to see Medea blanch and back away a step.

"Symphony, don't be a fool. I've only brought them peace," Medea justified, regaining her composure. "You don't understand, Symphony. I don't know if the effects of Maelstrom's curse are permanent, but even if they are, we will be happy to explain the situation to you. Despite your sister's transgressions," she added, glaring pointedly at Harmony.

Iris gasped at the revelation, and Harmony flinched, but Rogue did not allow it to distract him. "Oh, you'll explain everything," he assured, and he sprinted forward, twirling the scythe as he went and sweeping one of its blades downward.

Medea reacted instantly, leaping away with a graceful pirouette and drawing her tome. The tome glowed as she landed, a safe distance away, and a beam of light shot forward. Most of the spell was negated by Rogue's coat, but the intense spell still struck Rogue's chest, scorching a small hole in his tunic.

"You dare!?" Medea cried. "Intruders! Intruders in the main hall!" As she called out, she fired a second beam of light at Rogue, who dodged aside. The spell soared past him harmlessly, and sailed past his companions to strike the wall behind them.

A dozen Redeemers came rushing into the room, bristling with swords and lances. Iris backed away immediately, moving toward the entrance and staying clear of the battle, as Lucina and Severa both charged ahead to meet their opponents.

Four soldiers moved to cut off Lucina. After a moment of confusion, doubtlessly inspired by her wearing the armor of an elite Redeemer, another four moved to cut off Severa, as well. The last four rushed to Medea's side, challenging Rogue and leaving him terribly outnumbered.

A blast of lightning swept one of the Redeemers approaching Rogue off his feet, and his three companions turned, gaping at Harmony, who now held a tome ready. "Stand down," Harmony ordered.

"Lady Harmony?" one of the soldiers said weakly, as he backed away, a terrified look on his face.

"She's betrayed us too!" Medea shouted, outraged. A pulse of light soared across the hall at Harmony, who nimbly ducked beneath it. "Kill them!"

The soldiers hesitated. Two of them had been in service long enough to recognize Symphony, and all three were thoroughly uninterested in doing battle with either of the legendary Lodestars. But with Medea standing right behind them, they didn't have much choice.

Their uncertainty was all Rogue needed. He swept his new weapon low, the scythe's shaft easily tripping one of the soldier. He was holding the scythe by the two outer grips, and as he followed the scythe's spinning motion, with a quick, instinctive twist of his wrists, the scythe separated into two sickles, the shaft splitting perfectly at the center of the wide grip. The purpose of the longer grip became clear, as he easily shifted his hold on the two sickles, holding each weapon near the base of the shaft instead.

Each hand worked independently of the other, as Rogue battled both the remaining soldiers at once, his twin weapons dancing in beautiful arcs, repeatedly turning away the soldiers' lance and sword with ease. Behind him, Lucina and Severa were holding their own against the soldiers challenging them, too, and mere minutes later, five of the twelve Redeemers had fallen.

Harmony, in the meantime, leapt towards Medea, her scimitar drawn. Medea produced a long scepter, plated in gold and silver, and topped with a winged crown and enormous pearl. The ornate weapon didn't seem too practical for combat, but Medea managed to deflect Harmony's blade with it, buying her enough time to fire off her tome again, forcing Harmony away.

Further back, Iris had decided to join the battle herself. Still clutching the sheathed sword in both hands, she closed her eyes and called to the starlight elemental, concentrating on her pendant. The mysterious wisp reappeared, and was hovering over her shoulder when she opened her eyes hopefully. She didn't know if the wisp would be weaker during the day, for until now, it had only appeared on its own at night, but she was determined to help her friends however she could. A few bolts of starlight shot out into the fray, peppering the Redeemers in battle with Lucina and Severa. Neither women let the distraction go to waste, and as the Redeemers retreated, howling in pain and surprise, both Ylisseans pursued them, taking them down in short order.

The two then rushed to Rogue's side. Rogue had been keeping both his opponents at bay with remarkable ease, but had been unable to finish either one. Severa took one of the Redeemers by surprise, Passion cutting through the man's iron armor. The other, anticipating a similar move from Lucina, turned to face the approaching woman. Seeing the opening, Rogue snapped both sickles together, forming a scythe once more, which arced forward, decapitating the second Redeemer.

* * *

><p>Medea fared only marginally better than her soldiers. Her scepter clattered to the ground uselessly after a failed parry, and she fell back. Harmony had immediately sheathed her own weapon, and both women stood facing each other, holding a tome in one hand, with the beginnings of a spell in the other.<p>

"We're leaving," Harmony said harshly, not interested in playing this battle out further. Rogue looked displeased, and began to protest, but Harmony silenced him with a quick gesture from the hand still holding her tome. "I'll explain everything," she promised.

"Traitor!" Medea spat. "Lord Charon will not be pleased!" Even as she blustered, thoughts of surrender crossed her mind. She knew that either Harmony or Symphony could likely defeat her one-on-one in an even fight. With the rest of the Redeemer soldiers dead or dying, Medea knew she was sorely outnumbered. Still, the stubborn, cruel Redeemer pushed those thoughts aside, and defiantly glared at Harmony.

"Lord Charon won't even care," Harmony shot back. "All he cares about now is the Entropy Shard, and neither of us have it or know where it is!"

"He will find you!" Medea insisted. "He will make you pay for this!" In answer to her threat, the sound of heavy footfalls, announcing the arrival of another combatant, greeted them all. Medea smiled wickedly.

Upon hearing the same noise, Harmony blanched. "Damn!" she cried out, as she loosed her lightning spell.

Medea's leather armor proved to be warded, too, and deflected most of Harmony's spell, though she still reeled back, stung by the bolt of lightning. She released her own spell, another scorching bolt of light, which was similarly absorbed by Harmony's plate vest. "Run!" Harmony cried, as she backed away, gesturing toward the archway leading to the hallway they had entered from.

An armored figured stepped through the archway ahead of them, opposite of the exit. The silhouette was roughly masculine, and stood nearly seven feet tall. The newcomer was clad from head to toe in heavy black plate armor, with lacquered plates as elegant as those that made up Severa's new armor. They were also trimmed in silver, and the figure wore a long cape as well, though the inside of his cape was a beautiful, rich crimson color instead. His helmet was full-faced, with only a three-pointed eye and mouth slit, through which none of his facial features could be seen. Elaborate oversized pauldrons adorned both of the figure's shoulders, and in his heavy right gauntlet, he held a regal sword, with a shining silver blade fully four feet in length. Two beautiful emeralds sparkled in the sword's golden guard, with one shining out from the base of the sword's blade.

"Destroy them!" Medea commanded. Her order was meaningless, as this particular ally was not hers to command, and was already approaching the intruders anyways.

Before Rogue could decide whether to obey Harmony and flee, or try to face their new opponent head on and finish off Medea, the newcomer made up his mind for him. The beautiful silver blade swept forward, glowing for a split second. The energy seemed to extricate itself from the blade, and a wave of light rolled out from the weapon, shimmering through the air. Rogue threw himself flat to the ground, and the wave of force soared over him, slamming into one of the chamber's support pillars. The pillar crumbled, slashed apart where the wave had struck it.

"Run!" Harmony cried again. "You can't defeat him!"

Hearing the truth in her words, Rogue scrambled away. Lucina and Severa, too, noted the raw power behind that swing, and as soon as Rogue and Iris fled, the two of them followed hastily, with Harmony fleeing right behind them. Harmony then threw herself against Lucina, tackling her to the ground. Severa cried out angrily and spun around, but Harmony's intent became clear as another wave of energy rippled through the air, right where Lucina had been standing mere seconds earlier. Instead, Severa hastily helped both of the prone women to their feet and together, they continued to sprint down the painfully long hallway.

The guards at the entrance of the citadel turned to challenge them as they raced past, but Harmony had managed to catch up to Rogue by then. "Out of the way!" Harmony demanded, and obediently, the confused Redeemers backed away, allowing them to pass.

Though neither Medea nor her mysterious armored ally pursued them out into the city proper, the party did not stop running until they had put the Divine Citadel long behind them.

* * *

><p>Nasir growled in frustration. There was quite a bit of good information here, in the Redeemer's archives, confirming many of his suspicions regarding the eidolons. But so far, none of it gave any direction to their purpose.<p>

He cast aside a stack of iterated blueprints in disgust, not particularly interested in the silver war machine that the Redeemers had designed. He knew of their weapons already, and knew, too, that the one portrayed in the design was of little significance. He grabbed a logbook, and nearly tossed it aside, before a familiar name caught his attention.

"Snowflake Forest," Nasir muttered, as he began to read the report, remembering Lucina and her companions and their story about a village in the north being destroyed. At first, he had assumed it to be a random attack, but now that he thought about it, it made little sense that the Redeemers would reach so far to destroy a simple village.

As he got further into the report, sweat beaded upon his forehead, as he realized the implications of the report, and began to understand what the Redeemers were after. "These fools," Nasir swore quietly.

The door slammed open behind him, just as Nasir was considering stealing the report, and Lady Medea stormed into the room. "Harmony and Symphony have betrayed us!" she roared angrily. "Send a report to Lord Charon immediately!" Only then did she realize that the only man in the archives was not one of her scribes. "Who are you?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"Would you believe me if I claimed myself a simple merchant?" Nasir asked, a spark of mischief in his eyes.

"You're Nasir," Medea said, apparently recognizing him. "That merchant from Tergum. What are you doing in here?"

"I'm afraid that's none of your business," Nasir said calmly. "I will be on my way now. Farewell."

Medea grinned wickedly. "I don't think so, _merchant_. Spying on us? That's pretty bold of you, but I have no intention of allowing you to sell our secrets. Phantoms!" She snapped her fingers, and two suits of silver armor that had been standing decoratively in opposite corners of the room came to life, their gauntlets glowing with sparkling sapphire flames, golden eyes glowing from their skull-like visors.

"I'm glad you Redeemers appreciate natural light," Nasir said, seeming thoroughly unconcerned, as he looked up at the enormous glass window placed in the wall, allowing the sunlight to illuminate the room.

Medea's smile faltered, as Nasir's form began to shift and distort. Shimmering white scales sprouted all along his body, covering every inch of his tanned and weathered skin, and his merchant's clothing seemed to sink into his flesh and disappear. With an eerie crackling sound, his face contorted into a more serpentine shape as his entire body began to stretch grow.

Mere seconds later, Medea found herself face to face with a dragon.

The white dragon, nearly twenty feet in height, gave a deafening roar, before unleashing his devastating breath weapon against one of the suits of silver armor. A beam of white energy rippled outward, exploding into a swirling pool of mist at the phantom's feet. A second later, the phantom shattered, broken by the might of the ancient dragon, and its remains exploded, sending shards of molten silver across the room. Medea dove away, taking cover behind a fallen table.

The Laguz couldn't be bothered destroying the other phantom. Flapping his powerful wings, he lifted into the air, knocking several of the tables and papers askew. The glass window shattered, and Nasir took the skies, leaving behind an outraged Medea and a mess of paperwork and debris.


	16. Epilogue: Light to Tomorrow

**~ Epilogue ~**

**Light to Tomorrow**

Once they were clear of the city, an enraged Rogue spun to face Harmony. "What is going on here, Harmony?" he demanded furiously.

"In a moment," Harmony said, doing her best to ignore his anger. She glanced behind them, as if afraid they had been followed, but the road remained clear. She then lifted a small pouch from her belt. "Here. Each of you, take a pinch of this. When I give you the signal, picture Wilderness's Edge, and throw it at your feet."

"Why?" Rogue challenged.

"I will explain, I promise," Harmony said. "Please, Rogue. The warp powder will get us away from this place for now. I'll tell you everything once we're safe."

Rogue continued to glare at the merchant angrily, but after several seconds, finally caved in, and grudgingly took a pinch of the powder, as Harmony had instructed. Iris was next, and then Lucina and Severa.

"I thought warp powder was unreliable over long distances," Severa said nervously, as she took some of the strange powder. Unlike the golden powder her father had developed, Harmony's warp powder appeared fiery red.

"Not that I'm aware of," Harmony said, looking at her, surprised. "It does have a maximum range, but it should be more than enough to get us to Wilderness's Edge."

Unfortunately, there wasn't much of the powder left, and Harmony simply poured the last remnants of it into her own palm, casting the empty bag aside. "Alright. Remember, just picture Wilderness's Edge however you best remember it, then throw the powder at your feet," she said, repeating herself. As she spoke, she glanced back at the Divine Citadel nervously.

When none of the others moved, Harmony cast down her own warp powder, summoning a rift. Her reluctant companions followed suit a split second later, and the magically conjured rifts whisked the five of them away.

* * *

><p>Lucina staggered, barely remaining steady, as they emerged from the rifts. The powder had worked, and to her astonishment, had placed her precisely where she had envisioned, in the empty remnants of the abandoned trading settlement; Robin had always complained about the unreliability of warp powder.<p>

"Well… at least we are where we wanted to be," Severa said weakly, sharing Lucina's sentiments as she collapsed to her knees. Nearby, Rogue, Harmony, and Iris were similarly reeling from the debilitating effects.

"Sorry," Harmony apologized, in a tired tone. "The farther you travel with it, the more the warp powder weakens you. We should probably rest for at least a full day before setting out, but at least we'll be safe here for a bit."

"Good," Rogue said harshly, forcing himself back to his feet. "Then we have plenty of time. Who are you, Harmony? And while we're on that subject, who the hell am I?"

With a sigh, Harmony closed her eyes, and seated herself on the grassy meadow, leaning against a tree. "Your real name is Symphony. The two of us, and four others, Charon, Tantalus, Medea, and Relic were the six Lodestars, a title given to the leaders of the Redeemers."

"Medea said you were Rogue's sister," Iris said timidly.

Harmony nodded. "Our village was destroyed by rogue eidolons when I was three. Symphony was only a baby at the time. Both of our parents were killed, along with everyone else in the village," Harmony said. "Tantalus rescued us, and adopted us soon after."

"But who _are_ the Redeemers?" Lucina asked.

"A coalition of spirit charmers, seeking to use their power and affiliation with the spirits to build an empire," Harmony said. "Charon and Tantalus founded the Redeemers, determined that the pacts they made with spirits meant they were entitled to a higher place in our world's order."

"They sound like a pair of egoistical bullies," Severa commented snidely.

"They are," Harmony agreed with another sigh. "And believe it or not, Medea is even worse. As long as I've known her, she's been lost in her own twisted caricature of our world."

"Then why did you stay with them?" Lucina asked.

"I don't even remember making my pact, but as soon as Tantalus recognized me as a spirit charmer, he decided I should be given a place among them. I was only a child at the time, too young to really understand." Harmony admitted shamefully. As she spoke, she removed her armored vest, and undid one of the straps of her tunic, baring her shoulder and revealing a violet brand in the shape of a flower. "Once Symphony was a bit older, he sought out the spirits himself. He forged a pact of spirit protection, too, hoping to win Tantalus's approval."

"So… we were working with them?" Rogue asked, eyeing his own silver crescent-shaped brand uneasily.

"Working _for_ them," Harmony corrected. "They used us, Symphony. I was their primary scout. Assassin, when necessary. You were Tantalus's apprentice. Your pact proved to be stronger than the rest of us, save for Charon himself. The Redeemers didn't conduct many raids prior to the incident at Port Toha, but when we did, you were usually given control of our eidolons."

"Then how did Rogue… Symphony, wind up out here in Silent Grove?" Iris asked.

"Maelstrom," Harmony said, as a shadow crossed her face. "The eidolons are physical manifestations of spirits. The dire eidolons are formed when many spirits gather and unite into a single entity. Since the spirits don't truly belong in our existence, they can't cross over very easily. The dire eidolons are even rarer, as it's incredibly difficult for a being of such power to take shape in a world it doesn't belong in. The Redeemers have been summoning the eidolons into our world to serve them for years. After amassing a sizable army, Tantalus proposed the idea of resurrecting Maelstrom."

"Maelstrom's curse," Rogue muttered, remembering Medea's words during their encounter in the citadel.

Harmony nodded. "Maelstrom takes the natural form of a great and powerful sea behemoth, and can emit disorienting, cursed lightning. A direct hit can break its victim's mind entirely. Charon was uneasy entrusting Maelstrom to Tantalus alone. Tantalus insisted he could control it, but Charon overruled him, and decided that you should be the one to try to control Maelstrom instead. It seemed to work out, at first. Then Tantalus tried to feed Maelstrom power from the Entropy Shard, augmenting its strength further. That power proved too much for you to control, and Maelstrom broke free. Port Toha was annihilated, and you disappeared. Tantalus knew that Charon would never allow him to attempt such an experiment again, so he fled, stealing the Entropy Shard as he went."

"What's the Entropy Shard?" Lucina asked.

"I don't know too much about it myself," Harmony admitted. "Tantalus was our expert when it came to magical artifacts and devices. The Entropy Shard was some sort of power source that could be used to empower phantoms and eidolons."

"So Maelstrom destroyed my memory, and somehow, I wound up here, in the Snowflake forest," Rogue said, looking at Harmony bitterly. "All this time, you knew the truth, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried to steer the Redeemers away from you," Harmony said sadly, avoiding his gaze. "I was sent to find you, and stumbled upon you in Silent Grove. Here, you found friends and family. You found a _life._"

Rogue opened his mouth to speak, but abruptly, Harmony turned to her brother. Upon seeing the pain in her eyes, Rogue fell silent. "It took many years for me to recognize the Redeemers for what they were. Even then, I was trapped. You were too wrapped up in your devotion to Tantalus to see the truth of our actions, but I couldn't find it in myself to strike out on my own and abandon you. And besides, there was nowhere for me to go," Harmony said. "But you escaped that life when you came here to Silent Grove. I envied you… and I couldn't bring myself to take it all away. So I told the Redeemers that there was nothing useful to us out here, and pretended to continue searching."

"But they found out eventually," Iris said.

Harmony shook her head. "No, they didn't. The raid upon Silent Grove was an accident. Charon was pursuing Tantalus, trying to reclaim the Entropy Shard. Medea grew impatient. Instead of watching over the Divine Citadel as Charon ordered, she set out with some of our most recent recruits to try to find Tantalus herself."

"They thought I was Tantalus," Rogue remembered. "Until they realized I didn't know anything about the Redeemers."

"They were idiots. Or maybe it was Medea's fault. She must not have told her men very much about who they were searching for. Tantalus is at least twice your age," Harmony said grimly. "I was away from the citadel at the time," Harmony added, and as she spoke of it, tears began welling in her eyes. "Ever since you disappeared, my only task has been to find you. Instead I kept returning to Silent Grove to visit you, and to make sure you were doing well and enjoying your new life. But I didn't know Medea was headed this way until it was too late. I didn't realize what had happened until…" She seemed unable to complete her sentence.

"Until the day you met us," Lucina provided, and Harmony nodded, for it was indeed on that day that she had discovered Silent Grove's fate.

Rogue glanced at the weapon and coat he had taken from the citadel. He remembered the plaque resting in front of Chorus's display rack. "This coat and scythe were mine, weren't they? That's why the coat fit me perfectly… and why you once sold me a coat almost exactly like it."

Harmony nodded. "Tantalus forged Noctis Cantus for you. It was your trademark weapon. We purchased your coat from a vendor in Tergum, before Tantalus added the defensive enchantments to it. On my third trip up here, I visited the same vendor and bought a similar coat for you… you always did like that coat."

"And this armor?" Severa asked, gesturing at the Redeemer armor she still wore.

"Darksteel. The same alloy that my sword and Noctis Cantus are forged from. Most of it is cobalt, but I don't know the exact process," Harmony said. "Medea's scepter is made from it to, as is Relic's halo, and Charon's armor. Asides from that, we use it to armor our generals. You found it in the armory, didn't you?"

The party sat silently for some time, Harmony reflecting glumly upon her mistakes as the others digested the painful revelations.

"What do we do now?" Iris asked quietly. "Will the Redeemers try to hunt us down?"

"I don't think so," Harmony said. "Charon would know it's a waste of time, especially since I left the fortress with you. I trained a pair of apprentices, former criminals who were recruited by the Redeemers, but neither of them are strong enough to challenge me, and besides, they aren't spirit charmers. Charon's too busy hunting Tantalus; he won't waste his resources pursuing us."

"Then we can just… run away from this all?" Rogue asked.

"You can," Harmony confirmed. "It might be wise to steer clear of larger towns. I doubt Charon would bother trying to hunt you down, but if you happen to come across Medea on accident, I doubt she'll exercise any restraint."

"What about you?" Iris asked. "Are you coming with us?"

Harmony looked at her, astonished. Then she laughed bitterly. "After Silent Grove? Why would you want me to?"

"You're Rogue's… Symphony's sister," Iris pointed out, reaching out and gripping Rogue's hand tightly before he could speak. "And you were only trying to help him, weren't you?"

"Harmony… it's no more your fault than it was mine," Rogue added hoarsely. "And since you helped us escape the Divine Citadel, I doubt the Redeemers will welcome you back into their fold."

Harmony looked as if she had been entirely overcome by her brother's implicit forgiveness. She wavered indecisively for several seconds, before finally shaking her head. "Thank you," she said throatily. "But I can't go with you. Not yet. I have to try to make things right. Tantalus didn't steal the Entropy Shard just to spite Charon. He's trying to follow the trail of Extinction."

"Extinction?" Lucina, Severa, Rogue, and Iris all gasped together.

"The dire eidolon," Harmony confirmed. "It was defeated by the combined armies of Daein, Begnion, and Phoenicis just over two hundred years ago. But when a dire eidolon falls, a fraction of its power remains, crystallized into shards. Tantalus _was_ here in the Snowflake Forest. When I arrived in Silent Grove, the Redeemers hadn't cleared away the bodies yet. I didn't find you in the village, so I searched the forest around it, hoping you were still alive. That's when I found the remains of a spirit gate by Crystal Lake."

Rogue knew instantly of the gate Harmony was speaking of. "I destroyed that one," he recalled. "The same day the Redeemers came."

"It was Tantalus's work," Harmony said. "And if he came here, he must have been trying to find Extinction's essence, just as he had you and I hunt down Maelstrom's essence before. If he finds it, he'll try to bring Extinction back into our world, too. And Charon was right about one thing; Tantalus isn't as powerful as you are, Symphony. The moment Tantalus empowers Extinction, the dire eidolon will overpower him and be free to do as it pleases. In fact, it might not even need any extra strength from the Entropy Shard to defeat Tantalus."

"So you're going to try to find Tantalus and stop him?" Rogue guessed.

Harmony shook her head. "No. Tantalus knows Charon is still after him, and he's too careful. He will certainly have plenty of traps waiting for us if we try. I don't have the resources to hunt for him, and besides, if I try, I'll only end up crossing paths with Charon."

"Then what are you going to do?" Iris asked.

"I'm going to try to reclaim the Dominion Scepter," Harmony said. "A legendary weapon created by several powerful spirit charmers centuries ago, even before the War of the Goddess, to defeat Calamity, another of the dire eidolons. Relic has been searching for the scepter for many months, but I might be able to handle him if necessary."

"Just how many of these dire eidolons are there?" Severa asked, with a grimace.

"Known? Just the three I've mentioned," Harmony said. "There could be more, but unless one naturally finds its way into our world, we wouldn't know of them. Maelstrom and Extinction were allegedly destroyed about a hundred years after the Great Flood. Calamity, about two hundred years before the War of the Goddess. And Extinction reappeared, and was defeated again, just over two hundred years ago."

"How does the Dominion Scepter work?" Lucina asked.

"I'm not sure," Harmony admitted. "The legends aren't specific, and only indicate that it's a weapon of some sort, designed specifically to battle dire eidolons. Honestly, I don't even know what I will do after I find it. Bring it to Crimea, Daein, or Begnion perhaps. Or one of the Laguz kings. But I've read the stories, and I know what a dire eidolon can do if we leave it unchecked. Maelstrom completely obliterated Port Toha in a matter of minutes, and destroyed several other coastal towns before disappearing to sea, and it's allegedly the _weakest_ of the dire eidolons. I have to find the Dominion Scepter before Relic does."

"Why don't you go to them now for help?" Severa suggested. "Tell them what you know. If you go to the Laguz kings, some of them may even remember the last time Extinction came back, right?"

"King Goldoa would," Harmony agreed. "But he went missing not long after Port Toha was destroyed. Neither his allies, nor the Redeemers, know where he is now. King Phoenicis and King Gallia are both too young to have taken part in that battle, though I suppose they would know the story regardless. The real problem is the Redeemers. I know for a fact they've infiltrated all three Beorc kingdoms already. One of my apprentices is in Daein even now, and the other was supposed to be sowing discord among Phoenicis and Kilvas. If the Redeemers get a wind of our search, it'll become all the more difficult."

"So you're forced to work alone," Lucina summarized.

"Not entirely," Rogue interrupted. "Harmony, if what you're saying is true, I was one of the Redeemers, too. I'm just as responsible for this mess as you are."

"You don't even remember your time with the Redeemers," Harmony said. "Leave it behind you, Symphony. You deserve a better life. Take Iris with you, and stay with your new friends."

"Just because I can't remember my crimes doesn't mean I'm not responsible for them any longer," Rogue protested. "And now that I know what I've done, I can't just forget it and it pretend it never happened!"

"Besides, I think Lucy and I should probably try to help you with this Dominion Scepter," Severa added.

Lucina nodded in agreement. "Harmony, we're here because Maelstrom attacked our continent, across the ocean. It didn't just disappear after it broke free. My cousin came here, searching for answers, and Severa's sister came here searching for him."

"Another continent?" Harmony said, looking at them blankly. "I didn't know any other continents exist."

"Well, they do," Severa said wryly. "We drove Maelstrom away but we weren't able to destroy it. If it comes back to Ylisse, it might be good for us to know a thing or two about dealing with dire eidolons. And besides, since Lucy's cousin is looking for more information about Maelstrom, maybe we'll come across him, or my sister, while searching for your weapon."

"Harmony, we can't just hide and go on with our lives," Iris said. "The Redeemers killed everyone in Silent Grove, _without_ any dire eidolons working for them."

"And we've seen what dire eidolons can do, too. Extinction destroyed all of Iris's people during its last rampage," Rogue added. "Her people used to live in the Revenant Copse. I stumbled upon what was left of their home when we were fleeing from the Redeemers. If there's a chance of Extinction being resurrected, too, we have to be prepared to deal with it, whether or not Tantalus is able to control it."

Harmony still seemed uncomfortable with the idea, but relented, seeing that there was no way she was going to dissuade her companions. "Very well. I suppose you four could always change your minds later. For now, we should head west to Melior, then make our way north to the coast. According to Relic's research, the Dominion Scepter was last seen on Dragonflame Isle, a small island southwest of Gallia. We will have to find passage by sea."

"That won't be a problem," Lucina said. "Sev and I came here on our own ship, which should still be moored by a beach near here. It's to the northwest of here, on a small beach past Silent Grove."

"It's probably faster than any ship we'll find in Crimea," Severa added. "But I don't think we want to try to hike up to the beach until we've recovered from the warp powder."

"Probably not," Harmony agreed.

"We'll set off tomorrow evening, then," Lucina said.

* * *

><p>Far to the east, in Nevassa, the capital city of Daein, a trio of foreigners stepped into a quiet town square. It was in the quieter parts of the city, away from the busy marketplace, and the public seating was empty. The three visitors approached a statue at the center of the square, depicting one of Tellius's greatest legendary figures.<p>

"So this is the Radiant Hero," Priam said quietly, as he, Morgan, and Soren stood before the stone memorial dedicated to his ancestor.

"It's an adequate likeness," Soren said. "We should be going."

Morgan obediently fell in line behind Soren, as Soren continued down the street, but she turned back a moment later when Priam didn't follow suit. "Priam?" she called.

Priam ignored her, and had drawn his sword, holding it up beside the stone sword held by the statue. "It really is Ragnell," he muttered.

He hadn't meant to be overheard, but Soren's hearing was incredibly sharp. "Of course," Soren said dismissively, without turning around. "Now put it away before we start attracting attention. There will be enough of that when we reach the castle."

"Are you sure this is wise?" Morgan asked, nervously, as they casually marched down the road.

"Wiser than idling around hoping for the information we seek to fall into our laps," Soren said. "I expect there will be many willing to assist a descendant of the Radiant Hero, _if_ they believe he is who he says he is. But unfortunately, proving our identity to anyone may be difficult, save for those who I once knew."

As they approached the castle, a pair of guards stepped forward to confront them. Both were clad in black armor, worn over blood-red clothing. An insignia rested upon each of their pauldrons, prominently displayed, and matching the flags that hung above, flapping in the wind: a red flag, with a black, draconic shape.

"State your business," one of the soldiers barked.

"We're here to see Queen Micaiah," Soren said.

"The queen is no longer receiving visitors," the second soldier said. "I am sorry, but you will have to return tomorrow."

"Our business will not wait. The queen will see us," Soren replied bluntly.

Both guards looked surprised by his audacity. "I'm afraid that's not possible," the first guard finally said, after a tense pause.

Soren's face remained blank. "I suppose the queen isn't here, then?"

"She is here," the second guard corrected. "But her audience hours are strictly maintained, and with good reason."

"Then the queen _will_ see us," Soren growled, a hint of impatience crawling into his voice. "Priam, show them your sword." Priam obediently drew his weapon.

Both guards glanced at it, unsure of its significance. "Are you threatening us?" the first guard demanded angrily.

"Look again," Soren demanded impatiently. "The boy's weapon is none other than Ragnell. Even if you do not recognize it, I surely hope you recognize the name."

The second guard rolled his eyes. "Oh of course! How silly of us not to realize. Ragnell, the blade of the Radiant Hero that was lost _over five centuries ago_. If that's the case, why don't you just waltz on in?"

"We will, thank you," Soren said, and he moved purposely forward, subtly reaching for his tome as he went. Startled, the guards responded a moment late, putting up their lances just in time to impede Soren. A moment later, both guards slammed against the castle wall, one on each side of the entrance.

"Umm… I'm not sure attacking your friend's guards is a good idea," Morgan said, a little hesitantly, as she and Priam nervously followed Soren into the keep.

"She's not a friend," Soren replied dispassionately. "She's an acquaintance, at best. We were enemies once." That did little to quell his companions' unease.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind them, and Morgan and Priam both glanced behind them to see half a dozen soldiers following. "Halt!" one of them demanded, though his voice was a bit high-pitched, the guard's fear thoroughly defeating any attempt to sound authoritative. Soren ignored the guard, and following his lead, Morgan and Priam continued down the hall. The guards seemed at loss, as none of them were particularly comfortable with the idea of challenging the mage.

Soren didn't seem interested in any of the side-passages, or the gathering spectators. It had been centuries since he had last set foot in Castle Daein, and he didn't quite remember its layout, assuming it hadn't changed, but the castle was straightforward enough, and soon, the main hall ended at the throne room.

The queen, sitting in her throne, looked up at them as they entered. Though Soren had explained that the queen was branded, as he was, and would likely appear young despite her age, Morgan was still startled to see her, for the woman looked no older than she herself was. The queen's long, silver hair was combed elegantly, and she wore a beautiful dress, stitched from white and dark-red silks in a subtle pattern.

"Maiden of Dawn," Soren greeted.

The queen looked at him oddly. The intruder looked vaguely familiar, and his chosen greeting was quite unusual. "No one has referred to me by that title in centuries," she said, surprised. "Might I ask your name?"

"Have you truly forgotten me?" Soren asked, and Morgan was impressed by how condescending Soren could sound while keeping his voice and face completely free of emotion. "I must admit, I am disappointed. Ike often prattled on about how the bonds we forged in battle would be eternal."

Upon hearing Ike's name, Micaiah's eyes widened in recognition. "Soren? Is that really you?" The guards who had followed Morgan, Priam, and Soren into the room looked equally startled upon hearing the legendary tactician's name.

"Ah. So you do remember me. How flattering," Soren said, impassively. "Perhaps you would be willing to share a few stories with an old companion, then."

"Of… of course," Micaiah stammered. She glanced at Soren's companions, and unlike her guards, she immediately recognized the sword hanging from Priam's weapon belt, and knew who the man must be.

Soren lips quirked into a rare smile. "Thank you," he said, dipping into a slight bow, as Micaiah signaled for her guards to leave them. Morgan wasn't entirely sure if Soren was being sarcastic or not with his last gesture, but one thing was for certain: while effective, Soren's particular brand of diplomacy and tact was not for the faint-of-heart.

* * *

><p>"I didn't expect to find you two here," Chrom said, as he stepped into the Shepherds' training yard.<p>

"Oh! Hello, Chrom," Robin said. The distraction proved poorly timed, and Passion's cloth-padded spearhead jabbed into his chest painfully. "Ouch!"

"You really haven't been practicing," Cordelia teased, as she drew her weapon back and held it defensively.

"Chrom was distracting me," Robin said, as he launched himself forward into a simple attack routine. Cordelia was ready, though, and easily deflected all three of his swings before driving him back with another lunge.

"What's your excuse this time, dear?" Cordelia said, laughing lightly as she felt Passion connect with Robin's shoulder.

"That… was a lack of practice," Robin conceded, grinning and lowering his weapon. "Were you looking for us, Chrom?" he asked, turning back to face the exalt.

"I thought you were supposed to be working on your magical mirror. At least, I assumed that was why you left the girls in the throne room with me," Chrom said, smiling. "You know, I don't think babysitting should be part of the exalt's normal duties."

"I was working on the new cape, actually. Miriel instructed me to steep the cape in the concoction for at least two hours," Robin said, shrugging. "Hopefully it'll work this time around. In the meantime, I've run into a dead-end with the mirror, so I thought I'd get a bit of exercise while brainstorming."

"Exercise is one thing. But brushing up on your swordplay?" Chrom asked. His smile faded, and now, the exalt only looked worried. "You aren't considering a voyage across the sea yourself, are you?" Robin had briefly pondered the feasibility of such a venture a month after Severa departed, when there was no sign of either of the girls. Thanks to the Oculus, Robin at least knew with reasonable certainty that both of his adult daughters were well, but he soon understood exactly how Morgan had felt; a few images of natural scenery and bustling cities did little to set his heart at ease.

"I can't. We only outfitted two of the schooners, and Morgan and Severa each took one of them," Robin reminded.

"Then why the training?" Chrom asked. "The Shepherds and the Royal Guard have things under control around here."

It was Cordelia who answered, for she had asked her husband the same question that very morning. "Robin's worried that the sea creature we battled off the coast of Ferox might return," Cordelia explained. "Or other creatures like it. Owain may have had the right idea, after all, in trying to learn more about it."

"You know, I hadn't thought of that," Chrom said thoughtfully. "Maybe I should be training, too." He flexed his arm. It had taken over two years to recover fully from the vicious wound he had sustained at the Dragon's Table. Most of the healers were surprised that his arm had healed at all, but somehow, it still didn't quite feel the same. Chrom had attributed it to a lack of practice, though, and didn't pay it too much thought.

"The exalt probably shouldn't be marching off to battle," Cordelia reminded.

But Robin voiced his dissent almost immediately. Chrom wasn't the type to hide in his castle if danger were to arrive on the kingdom's doorstep. Besides, Robin hadn't been entirely truthful that morning, and there was at least one other reason for his training. "Come on, Cordelia. You know Chrom. No one's going to convince him to sit tight on his throne while we march off to battle," Robin pointed out. He turned back to Chrom. "You're welcome to join us if you'd like.""

"Not right now, though," Cordelia said, looking up at the sky and gauging the time. "The cape is probably ready, Robin, and I should probably go check on the girls."

"Don't worry. Sumia's watching them," Chrom said dismissively.

"Then she could probably use a hand. Four little girls is a bit much for anyone," Cordelia insisted.

"Good point," Robin agreed. "I'll go check on the cape. I'll meet up with you in the dining hall after, all right?"

"See you soon," Cordelia said, giving him a quick kiss before heading off toward the throne room.

* * *

><p>The windows of the luxurious tavern shuddered under the weight of the howling storm raging outside, but the many patrons that night paid them little heed.<p>

Many had been hesitant to rebuild in Port Toha, after it was destroyed by a massive eidolon of incredible power. But the need for a port in the region became quickly apparent. Only six short months after the port's destruction, many were finally convinced the eidolon would not return, and the port was hastily resurrected. This proprietor of the Silver Coin had taken quite a gamble in coming to what remained of Port Toha before the reconstruction truly began, but it paid off. Silver Coin was now the largest and most prosperous tavern in the port, and the fine accommodations were both a cause of and a testament to its popularity.

Conversation throughout the tavern only barely paused when the heavy, gilded wooden door flew open, and a man dressed in a long black cloak entered, clutching a large sack. A worn and dented cutlass hung from his belt. Some of the tavern's patrons recognized the man immediately, for these past few weeks, the wayfarer had earned himself a rather odd reputation.

The hooded man closed the door behind him, and paused, peering out from beneath his hood at what he had hoped would be an attentive audience. The patrons eyed him curiously for several seconds, but soon returned to their own business. Annoyed, the man drew back his hood, revealing a head of messy, medium length brown hair and a youthful face, weathered by many trials and adventures. "I have returned from the jaws of the black scourge! I carry with me, as proof of my victory, the remains of many a foe that shall plague us no longer!" he announced, and he seemed ready to empty the sack in his arms.

"Oh no you don't, lad," the proprietor quickly interrupted, hastily racing across the tavern so that he could seize the sack and hold it upright. "I need no eidolon ash scattered across my floor! It was just swept clean this morning!"

The young man flashed the proprietor a wide grin. "My apologies! It will not do to deface this hallowed place where heroes find respite!"

The proprietor rolled his eyes. "I told you before, we don't go much for heroes in these parts, lad. Just merchants and sailors." He turned and shot a dirty glare at a handful of rugged mercenaries in the corner of the room. "And sell swords who don't pay much heed to any _real_ troubles," he said, in a raised voice. The mercenaries ignored the proprietor – no amount of gold the proprietor would offer was enough for them to risk their necks hunting a band of eidolons in the wild. "Owain, was it?" the proprietor asked, turning back to the rogue. "You may be crazy, but at least you've got a bit of spine in you. Come with me, and I'll fetch you the promised bounty."

"I have no need for petty indulgences," Owain insisted. "A meal and a warm bed for the night is all I ask in return for my work."

The proprietor laughed. "Ah, the idealism of youth. Mark my words, lad. One day when you're older, you'll wish you had set some gold aside."

Unconvinced, Owain declined the offered bounty once more, and instead settled down to a bowl of hearty shellfish stew and a flagon of ale. As he ate, he hid his disappointment well. He had wandered this strange, foreign land for nearly a month, and still had nothing to show for his efforts.

Owain had enlisted a band of mercenaries to help in his search for the strange sea monster, but the materialistic scoundrels proved to be fairly worthless. Many succumbed at sea, despite claiming long years of sailing experience. Others fell in battle with pirates. Finally, after many months, a vicious storm had come upon them. The rest of his men were likely dead now, and lost to the depths. He himself had only barely survived, and had been left stranded in this foreign land. He had been rescued by strange men who could transform into large felines. They were friendly enough, thankfully, and had directed him here to Port Toha after he inquired about the sea monster, which they labeled a "dire eidolon". But despite this entire port being destroyed once by the mysterious creature, no one here seemed to know much about it.

Another man suddenly tapped Owain gently on the shoulder. "May I join you, sir?" the stranger asked politely. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Of course! Owain would never turn away those in need!" Owain said, gesturing toward the seat across for him, which the stranger accepted, gracefully seating himself. Like Owain, the man wore a long black cloak. Ruby eyes gleamed from beneath the concealing hood, which he had not removed upon entering the tavern. The man was not particularly large or imposing, though his eyes did seem rather ominous.

"I admit, I have been watching you for some time," the stranger began. "Ever since you set foot in Port Toha. You seek Maelstrom, the dire eidolon, do you not?"

"I do," Owain replied, suddenly excited. "Do you know anything about Maelstrom?"

"Maelstrom's first appearance was before my time, of course," the stranger said. "I have studied both Beorc and Laguz history, but have found little information relating to the dire eidolons. But I did find one particularly interesting scrap of information."

"What is it?" Owain urged.

"First, answer me this. You are no friend to the eidolons, that much is apparent enough. What is your interest in Maelstrom?" the stranger inquired.

"I would destroy it! Owain Dark will not allow any menace, regardless of its size and power, terrorize our world!" Owain said dramatically.

The stranger smiled, and his hood shifted just slightly, allowing Owain a glimpse of a strange red marking, cresting his forehead. "Then our aims align, my friend. Defeating a band of eidolon wights alone is no easy feat. I am assembling a company of my own, in hopes of one day challenging Maelstrom. I would be honored if you were willing to join our cause."

Owain leapt to his feet excitedly, enthused by the fortunate turn of events. "I cannot refuse such an offer. My blade is yours!"

"You may as well finish your meal. I have approached a pair of treasure hunters who have also expressed interest in joining us. They are materialistic, but they may prove helpful. We will meet with them tomorrow, before setting out," the stranger said.

Though slightly disappointed at the further delay, Owain obediently seated himself once more and resumed eating. "Where are we headed?" Then another question occurred to him. "And may I ask your name?"

"We are headed to Dragonflame Isle, a small island to the southwest of Gallia. It has become a haven for treasure hunters, seeking to salvage relics and fortunes lost to the ocean's insatiable hunger. I believe the treasure we seek to be among these artifacts: the Dominion Scepter, an ancient weapon forged to battle Calamity, the dire eidolon. As for myself, I am Dracos. You may call me Drake," the man said, smiling cryptically.


End file.
